Betty at our wind blown Firefly site!

Well after more than 4 months in Texas in various locations we are on the move again. Will be in Texas a few more nights as we drive our way west to Tucson and then we head north back home to Richland. It’s pretty much a final decision that it (PNW) will still be home when this Nomad journey is finished.

Let me start by summarizing our stay at Firefly on the Coastal Bend in Corpus Cristi. It was a beautiful location that I posted pictures of in the last Blog update and will include a few more here. The highlights were #1 meeting our new friends Bill and Bev from Ontario and their 2 dogs Chico and Bentley. Finn’s best buddies so far on the road and ours too! And #2 the beautiful beaches we tried to walk on daily weather allowing. Including seeing Whooping Cranes in Port Aransas and all of the other birds that winter in south Texas. And #3 we’re both big fans of HEB the grocery store chain here in Texas. Have to say they are probably the best we’ve ever found. We have eaten more fresh fish, fantastic veggies and fruit, and great meats! They’ve got it all! Another highlight #4 was the weather when it was nice it was nice. 80’s in the winter is pretty nice when it happens and we had a lot of nice days. We’ve had a great stay and will miss it all.

The low lights: the infernal winds of Texas – will NOT miss those. Literally got seasick in the trailer being rocked by the winds! And winter that does actually arrive down on the south coast. We had freezing weather a few times and we were just stuck in the trailer because it was too icky to be outside. Stuck with windows that fogged up which gave me claustrophobia. I was constantly wiping them with paper towels so I could see outside. We finally bought a dehumidifier which helped but didn’t totally resolve the problem. Let me tell you cabin fever in a trailer is the worst. One day we actually went to the mall with our friends and just walked around and had lunch just to get out. And there were many days where I bundled up and walked around the neighborhood despite the wind and crappy weather just to get out and get exercise.

February also arrived with another Indiana visit for me. I got to go spend 2 weeks with the grandsons. Had a few days with Brandon and Becca when I got there and then held down the fort while they were off in Kenya doing their research. Talk about weather shock! I went from 80’s to teens and it was 5 degrees the morning I left to go back! I didn’t bring many warm cloths so I made due. And Dare I say I was busy! School, swim practice, meals for hungry boys, and everything in-between. Got to do so many fun things! Swim meet, Whitmans’s 9th birthday, concert, movie, Super Bowl Party, and more! Thankful for Joel who held down the fort in Texas with Finn and Theo which allowed to me go. It takes a village!

Along the way I decided I really wanted to exercise more than walking which I have pretty much done daily since we left last year. Tried doing chair yoga which didn’t do it for me. And found another full body workout without equipment that I really enjoy. Tried doing it in the trailer with Joel watching lol and didn’t enjoy that. Tried doing it in the trailer without Joel watching and it was okay but still tight. So I got an exercise mat and took it to the rec room at Firefly which has a TV so I could use YouTube and no one is ever down there in the am. Finished strong exercising every morning which I really enjoyed. Working on keeping it going in transit.

We’ve pretty much mapped out our trip back to Washington and we have a 3 month reservation back in the neighborhood from April through June. The main unknown is the weather. We really wanted to go up through Flagstaff and see Sedona and more but the temps at night are still in the teens so we just can’t do it. So we will be going north from Tucson to Phoenix and then west to LA and then up I5. The main concern area is north of Sacramento to Medford where we could still see snow. Fingers crossed we can cruise through with no major issues weather or otherwise. We will be in Tucson from the 11th through the 15th leaving the 16th for home. Plan to pull into Richland on April 3rd or before. Very excited to make a full circle and be back home with family and friends.

I’ve tried to share our learnings along the way. So here are somethings we’ve learned personally and by watching our fellow nomads (snowbirds). Shit happens! Mechanical and otherwise. We’ve seen the RV Repair guys over and over. At Firefly let me share a few: One guy named David, traveling alone had a brand new truck and was pulling a big trailer. He took his new truck in for the first oil change and his truck fell off the lift! LOL they gave him a new truck bigger and better than his. Happy ending. Quite a few fellow travelers had problems large and small. Broken air conditioners, water seals, furnaces, etc. You get the picture. We took Betty in to get her oil changed and get an early 65k safety check. Turned out we needed rear brakes and a steering stabilizer replaced. Always something. Easy come easy go….$800 later of unplanned expenses. We also had some nice neighbors come in from New Jersey – Mike and Carol. After just a few weeks in Texas Mike got a call that his mom was in the hospital with pneumonia. It happened while I was in Indiana. Joel drove them to the airport the next day. They sat at the airport all day while the plane had mechanical issues and they finally came back and drove to NJ the next day. They left the keys for their trailer, motorcycle etc. with Joel. Mike just came back the day before we left. His mom is doing okay and his wife stayed there to care for her while be drove back to get the trailer and go home. This hit close to home because as you’ll remember Joels dad fell and we had to rush back to Oklahoma in November. It didn’t end so well for us.

Words of wisdom from the Nomads. You have to go with a positive attitude but be ready for anything. You have to take it as it comes and embrace the journey. You’ll forget the pain of problems with time so keep the faith. If you would have asked me a few years ago if I could do what we’ve done I probably would have laughed at you and said no. But, my life and Joel’s too have been a string of many adventures/journeys that brought us together and led us to this point! Wouldn’t trade it for anything. This isn’t the end it’s just a circle that’s coming to a close and a new journey that’s to come!

Love you Joel Hinson!