The GulfFeb 9, 2011
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The air was crisp and clear when we headed further south this morning, almost like Santa Fe weather. Janine and Tim had downloaded some great CDs for us at Christmas, and we now felt experienced enough driving (Alan) and navigating (me) to enjoy the music that they selected.
Our family is so excited for us, and we are so grateful for their support. Road trips are definitely not just for the young! And what a wonderful feeling to put on comfortable jeans in the morning, climb up into the truck and watch the road ahead. We've driven about a 1,000 miles so far at our very leisurely pace. Now we will spend several days or more in one spot so we can explore some of the highlights of the area and sample some of the cuisine. Since tomorrow will be chilly and overcast, we will stock up on supplies, rest and then do some sightseeing on Friday.
We both have our assignments in setting up and breaking down camp. So many of the skills we used to draw on at work are also basic life-on-the-road skills (planning, organizing, testing, evaluating, teamwork, projecting). One of my tasks is to extend the three slides when we set up camp...and to retract them when we are ready to leave again. It is mechanical..I just push a button for each one. But it made me very nervous, because if I wasn't attentive, I could strip the gears. After doing it a few times (not completely stripping the gears), I told Alan that I wanted to be reassigned. He looked at me gently and said, "honey, you really can't be reassigned. There are only two of us. I know you can do this!" And so I did! So often I'm grateful I married this man. He's always had such total confidence in me...even when I didn't have it in myself.
I love the campground we are in tonight. It is a members-only RV park close to the Gulf, Foley Bay and Mobile Bay. The campsites are generous in size, and the staff is friendly. The "members" club we belong to is called The Escapees Club, a national organization with campgrounds throughout the United States. I think the membership fee is only $25, and we are surrounded by people like us, who are testing life off the mainstream and have found the nicest places along the way. It feels good to know that we are not alone in our thinking.
As I'm writing this journal...you are probably wondering what Al is doing. Well, he is much more interested in just "being" than recording, something I need to work on. (Although I have noticed him video-taping all of our campsites with Michael's camera.) We both have our chosen ways to express ourselves...at least we're not competing for use of the laptop! I will send an update posting soon and will start uploading pictures now that we are settling in for a bit.
