July 12-13, 2007
Just Chillin’
It was a late morning wake up today, after a long night of TV movies last night. It’s becoming more like we’re back home already. We’re being lazy, not worrying about the stresses of the road. It’s nice not having to plan routes and rest stops. We’re in a good place, just doing whatever we want to.
Today has been mostly watching TV and biking through the woods. We called Mike to see if he would be able to ride out here with Micah’s parents when they headed out, but he couldn’t. Apparently asking off from work a few days after a month long vacation isn’t so easy. We’re going to finish the trip with the five remaining crew members.
Micah’s parents and sister Eva arrived Friday evening, bringing groceries for the next couple days. We would be eating well for the next few meals; lasagna, bacon and eggs, steaks, smores, and a bunch of other stuff. So far it has been the best few meals we’ve had in a while, and maybe even better than what we’re going home to in a couple of days.
We took a short trip to Bear Lake about a mile down the road. The water was cold and clear. The rest of the night was spent playing poker and watching TV. We knew it was one of the last events of the trip before we left the next day for home. Nobody knows that we’re coming home tomorrow; it’s going to be a surprise. If you’re reading this it means we made it home. We haven’t been around internet in days, and home is the next stop. If you want to hear more about the trip give one of us a call, we’ll be back home.
If nothing goes wrong in the last hours between Grayling and Holland than our Winnebago Trip 2007 has less than 24 hours to go. It’s going to be an adjustment returning to our families, jobs, cars, showers, beds, and hot food. Each of us has to ease back into a normal lifestyle, but if it gets too bad we can always camp out at the Holland Wal-Mart, grilling dinner with the six of us; just like old times.
Winnebago guys, from the desk of Aaron Tubergen
Grayling Michigan, last stop before home
Sunday, July 15, 2007
July 11, 2007
July 11, 2007
The Cabin
Leaving the Holmes residence this morning we had one goal in mind. We were aiming to get to Grayling, Michigan where we would stay in Micah’s until the end of the trip. We’ve stayed at the cabin a few times before and always have fun. It would be a good last stop before home.
We cleaned up around the Deer Lodge this morning. Using kitchen appliances for the first time in a while, we made pancakes. Wanting chocolate chips in our pancakes, we went the Bago to get some, but they had melted into one big block of chocolate. As a chocolate chip substitute we grabbed some Hershey bars and broke pieces off into the mix. It worked, and we ate every last pancake. We hit the road around noon and headed east for the bridge. Thanks again to the Holmes for letting us stay a night at the lodge, it was awesome.
The drive through the UP was fairly uneventful; just one small town after the other, and a lot of trees. Much preferred to city traffic while in the 25ft. long house we’ve been driving. Making it to the Mackinaw Bridge was exciting. It was a little windy outside, and RVs were restricted to 20mph while crossing the bridge. We sped a little bit, but we didn’t get blown off the bridge, we made it.
Making it to the Lower Peninsula, we immediately felt more at home. We regained cell phone reception temporarily and made a few calls home to announce that we’re getting closer. From the bridge it wasn’t a long drive to Grayling.
Once at the cabin, we moved our stuff in right away. Another round of hot food for the day made it one to remember, as we ate chili, soup, and stew. After dinner we broke out some of the bigger fireworks that had been tucked away while parked at the Wal-Marts and in the cities. That’s when we got the good idea of blowing up the microwave in the Winnebago. We hadn’t used it yet, and didn’t look worth saving, so we blew it up. Loading it with fireworks the first time, Micah lit the fuse, tipped it over, and ran away. The explosion was contained pretty well, and not much damage was done. We sent Luke back to the cabin to grab another explosive so we could do it again. The second try we left the door on the microwave open. The explosion was much more visable on the second attempt than the first and we captured it on video. The microwave might still work, but it might leak radiation a little. We’re not sure, so it’s trash now. Totally worth it though.
We’re now back inside, watching CSI and playing computer games. There is more food to be eaten and pop to be devoured. The food our mothers sent us off with has not yet run out, but we’re trying our hardest not to come home with anything other than what’s stuck in our carpet and furniture. Nobody is really sure of how long we plan on being out here, but it could be a while because we always have fun here. There isn’t any internet here, so when this is posted we could be home, give one of us a call.
Winnebago guys, from the desk of Aaron Tubergen
Grayling, Michigan
The Cabin
Leaving the Holmes residence this morning we had one goal in mind. We were aiming to get to Grayling, Michigan where we would stay in Micah’s until the end of the trip. We’ve stayed at the cabin a few times before and always have fun. It would be a good last stop before home.
We cleaned up around the Deer Lodge this morning. Using kitchen appliances for the first time in a while, we made pancakes. Wanting chocolate chips in our pancakes, we went the Bago to get some, but they had melted into one big block of chocolate. As a chocolate chip substitute we grabbed some Hershey bars and broke pieces off into the mix. It worked, and we ate every last pancake. We hit the road around noon and headed east for the bridge. Thanks again to the Holmes for letting us stay a night at the lodge, it was awesome.
The drive through the UP was fairly uneventful; just one small town after the other, and a lot of trees. Much preferred to city traffic while in the 25ft. long house we’ve been driving. Making it to the Mackinaw Bridge was exciting. It was a little windy outside, and RVs were restricted to 20mph while crossing the bridge. We sped a little bit, but we didn’t get blown off the bridge, we made it.
Making it to the Lower Peninsula, we immediately felt more at home. We regained cell phone reception temporarily and made a few calls home to announce that we’re getting closer. From the bridge it wasn’t a long drive to Grayling.
Once at the cabin, we moved our stuff in right away. Another round of hot food for the day made it one to remember, as we ate chili, soup, and stew. After dinner we broke out some of the bigger fireworks that had been tucked away while parked at the Wal-Marts and in the cities. That’s when we got the good idea of blowing up the microwave in the Winnebago. We hadn’t used it yet, and didn’t look worth saving, so we blew it up. Loading it with fireworks the first time, Micah lit the fuse, tipped it over, and ran away. The explosion was contained pretty well, and not much damage was done. We sent Luke back to the cabin to grab another explosive so we could do it again. The second try we left the door on the microwave open. The explosion was much more visable on the second attempt than the first and we captured it on video. The microwave might still work, but it might leak radiation a little. We’re not sure, so it’s trash now. Totally worth it though.
We’re now back inside, watching CSI and playing computer games. There is more food to be eaten and pop to be devoured. The food our mothers sent us off with has not yet run out, but we’re trying our hardest not to come home with anything other than what’s stuck in our carpet and furniture. Nobody is really sure of how long we plan on being out here, but it could be a while because we always have fun here. There isn’t any internet here, so when this is posted we could be home, give one of us a call.
Winnebago guys, from the desk of Aaron Tubergen
Grayling, Michigan
July 10, 2007
July 10, 2007
Clean Again
We started our early morning in the Duluth Wal-Mart with some light rain that trickled in through our broken windows. Luke put shards of Plexiglas that we found on the side of the highway in the driver side window. It was a replacement for the window he shattered in Tucson. It kept a little rain out, but the storm didn’t last very long.
We left shortly after 10:00am, aiming for Michigan. It wouldn’t be the same Michigan we’re accustomed to; it’s the U.P. Our connection in the UP was made through the Van’t Hofs. Luke has hunted up here in the past and stayed at a cabin owned by the Holms family. We were looking forward to the sauna Luke had been telling us about. We hadn’t showered since the 4th of July RV park, and were all in desperate need of some form of cleaning up. A call to Luke’s dad told us that we would have dinner waiting for us when we arrived.
After a good day’s drive, we had gone from Minnesota, across Wisconsin, into Michigan, back into Wisconsin, and then into Michigan, for our last border crossings of the trip. The Winnebago only missed one street on our first try at the cabin. Our directions were pretty good and we made it in time for a lasagna dinner. It was delicious, and hot, and not cereal or soup.
With full stomachs we jumped into the sauna. It was a lot hotter than most of us expected it to be. It hit 170 degrees at one point. It was hard to stay in for very long at a time. We took it in rounds, a few minutes at a time, using buckets of water and some soap to get clean with. After we were done, we dried off, turning white towels brown with dirt. It was the cleanest feeling any of us have had the entire trip.
Later in the evening we walked to the house to check out Mike’s decoy collection (Mike Holms, our host). It was really neat. He makes a lot of them himself and they all look very realistic. We learned the science behind making them work, and we were all pretty impressed. We said our goodbyes to Mike tonight because he would be gone at work before we would be up and moving.
When we left the house it was pitch black outside. There is no light pollution out here at all. We staggered our way back to the cabin, trying not to run into trees on the way. After we got back we broke out the poker chips, mountain dews, and freeze-ices. A couple of hours of poker later, Micah and I both walked away with some extra cash. We put our phones and computers on their chargers for the first time in days and went to sleep in our first beds since we left almost a month ago.
Tomorrow we’ll leave and head for the bridge. Maybe we’ll make it to the lower peninsula and things will start looking more like home. Thanks again to the Holms for a great night off the road; we needed that sauna, bad. We’ll make sure that you get a copy of the DVD when it’s finished.
Winnebago Guys, from the desk of Aaron Tubergen
Iron Mountain, Michigan
Clean Again
We started our early morning in the Duluth Wal-Mart with some light rain that trickled in through our broken windows. Luke put shards of Plexiglas that we found on the side of the highway in the driver side window. It was a replacement for the window he shattered in Tucson. It kept a little rain out, but the storm didn’t last very long.
We left shortly after 10:00am, aiming for Michigan. It wouldn’t be the same Michigan we’re accustomed to; it’s the U.P. Our connection in the UP was made through the Van’t Hofs. Luke has hunted up here in the past and stayed at a cabin owned by the Holms family. We were looking forward to the sauna Luke had been telling us about. We hadn’t showered since the 4th of July RV park, and were all in desperate need of some form of cleaning up. A call to Luke’s dad told us that we would have dinner waiting for us when we arrived.
After a good day’s drive, we had gone from Minnesota, across Wisconsin, into Michigan, back into Wisconsin, and then into Michigan, for our last border crossings of the trip. The Winnebago only missed one street on our first try at the cabin. Our directions were pretty good and we made it in time for a lasagna dinner. It was delicious, and hot, and not cereal or soup.
With full stomachs we jumped into the sauna. It was a lot hotter than most of us expected it to be. It hit 170 degrees at one point. It was hard to stay in for very long at a time. We took it in rounds, a few minutes at a time, using buckets of water and some soap to get clean with. After we were done, we dried off, turning white towels brown with dirt. It was the cleanest feeling any of us have had the entire trip.
Later in the evening we walked to the house to check out Mike’s decoy collection (Mike Holms, our host). It was really neat. He makes a lot of them himself and they all look very realistic. We learned the science behind making them work, and we were all pretty impressed. We said our goodbyes to Mike tonight because he would be gone at work before we would be up and moving.
When we left the house it was pitch black outside. There is no light pollution out here at all. We staggered our way back to the cabin, trying not to run into trees on the way. After we got back we broke out the poker chips, mountain dews, and freeze-ices. A couple of hours of poker later, Micah and I both walked away with some extra cash. We put our phones and computers on their chargers for the first time in days and went to sleep in our first beds since we left almost a month ago.
Tomorrow we’ll leave and head for the bridge. Maybe we’ll make it to the lower peninsula and things will start looking more like home. Thanks again to the Holms for a great night off the road; we needed that sauna, bad. We’ll make sure that you get a copy of the DVD when it’s finished.
Winnebago Guys, from the desk of Aaron Tubergen
Iron Mountain, Michigan
July 6, 2007
July 6, 2007
2nd last night with Mike
The calls were made; the location and time were set up. Mike would be going home with our youth group tomorrow. We would meet at a rest stop near a junction between our two highways. It was the fastest, cheapest option Mike had for getting home for his job interview.
This wouldn’t be our first time saying goodbye to Mike. He left the crew earlier on the trip, but with a little less warning. This time we had time to hang out and do things other than fixing Helen, unlike Mike’s departure from Tulsa.
We woke up around noon and had a delicious Brat breakfast with plenty of Sam’s Choice Cola. After a team vote we decided to grill inside the Winnebago. The sun was hot in the parking lot, so we stayed inside. For a while the smell of brats masked the odor of fireworks and dirty clothes. That didn’t last to long. That was the first meal of the day we would splurge on. After brunch we hit the road. It was on the road where we broke out more fireworks. A few more burns and the first blood drawn when Luke got drilled between the eyes with a bottle-rocket lit by Mike. It was really funny for the rest of us, but Luke wasn’t laughing so much.
We drove to the nearest Wal-Mart to our youth-group rest stop rendezvous. From there we walked to a nearby Sonic to eat dinner. Two real meals in one day, we ate well. It almost hurt to take my wallet out twice in 24hours but the food tasted good.
After Sonic we headed back to the Bago, where we chilled for a while. A lot of phone calls home were made. A car drove up and two girls invited us to a party nearby. First impressions told me that it wasn’t going to be our kind of party, so we declined the offer. Our kind of party was going on inside the Bago, and we were content with staying there for the night. In the morning we would drive to the rest stop, drop off Mike, and keep heading North for Nebraska and maybe South Dakota. We’ll see what happens.
Winnebago Guys, from the desk of Aaron Tubergen
Colby, Kansas
2nd last night with Mike
The calls were made; the location and time were set up. Mike would be going home with our youth group tomorrow. We would meet at a rest stop near a junction between our two highways. It was the fastest, cheapest option Mike had for getting home for his job interview.
This wouldn’t be our first time saying goodbye to Mike. He left the crew earlier on the trip, but with a little less warning. This time we had time to hang out and do things other than fixing Helen, unlike Mike’s departure from Tulsa.
We woke up around noon and had a delicious Brat breakfast with plenty of Sam’s Choice Cola. After a team vote we decided to grill inside the Winnebago. The sun was hot in the parking lot, so we stayed inside. For a while the smell of brats masked the odor of fireworks and dirty clothes. That didn’t last to long. That was the first meal of the day we would splurge on. After brunch we hit the road. It was on the road where we broke out more fireworks. A few more burns and the first blood drawn when Luke got drilled between the eyes with a bottle-rocket lit by Mike. It was really funny for the rest of us, but Luke wasn’t laughing so much.
We drove to the nearest Wal-Mart to our youth-group rest stop rendezvous. From there we walked to a nearby Sonic to eat dinner. Two real meals in one day, we ate well. It almost hurt to take my wallet out twice in 24hours but the food tasted good.
After Sonic we headed back to the Bago, where we chilled for a while. A lot of phone calls home were made. A car drove up and two girls invited us to a party nearby. First impressions told me that it wasn’t going to be our kind of party, so we declined the offer. Our kind of party was going on inside the Bago, and we were content with staying there for the night. In the morning we would drive to the rest stop, drop off Mike, and keep heading North for Nebraska and maybe South Dakota. We’ll see what happens.
Winnebago Guys, from the desk of Aaron Tubergen
Colby, Kansas
Saturday, July 7, 2007
July 5, 2007
July 5, 2007
Progress
Most of the day was spent sleeping. After another late night driving we slept in to about 4:00pm. We cleaned up a few things and hit the road again. The weather was cool enough for us to drive in daylight hours, so we began our transition out of nocturnal life by driving during the day. It was new feeling, not having to use our headlights at first.
Our next goal is to meet up with the Providence youth group in Kansas. They have been in Colorado for the past week and are also starting their way back home. Our may intersect at Oakley, Kansas. If we do meet up, Mike will be riding home with them. Mike has a job interview and has to leave us again. With an actual destination and time frame ahead of us we made great time on the road.
Although we started in daylight hours we drove late into the night, about 12 hours. We covered almost 450miles and made it into Kansas. It was one of the longest single traveling days yet. The fact that we haven’t broken down facing east yet, progress is much faster.
Other than the great progress we made, not much else happened today. New stashes of fireworks are surfacing and being launched again. More burn marks on the furniture, our clothes and skin. So far the ride home is going much smoother than the one out here. We’ve worked the kinks out of Helen. She’s working better everyday.
Mike’s cousin Josh, you have left him a few voicemails, he wants to call you back but doesn’t have your number. Call back and leave a number, thanks.
Winnebago Guys, from the desk of Aaron Tubergen
Liberal, Kansas
4257 miles driven,
roughly 655 gallons of gas later, we’re in Kansas again
Progress
Most of the day was spent sleeping. After another late night driving we slept in to about 4:00pm. We cleaned up a few things and hit the road again. The weather was cool enough for us to drive in daylight hours, so we began our transition out of nocturnal life by driving during the day. It was new feeling, not having to use our headlights at first.
Our next goal is to meet up with the Providence youth group in Kansas. They have been in Colorado for the past week and are also starting their way back home. Our may intersect at Oakley, Kansas. If we do meet up, Mike will be riding home with them. Mike has a job interview and has to leave us again. With an actual destination and time frame ahead of us we made great time on the road.
Although we started in daylight hours we drove late into the night, about 12 hours. We covered almost 450miles and made it into Kansas. It was one of the longest single traveling days yet. The fact that we haven’t broken down facing east yet, progress is much faster.
Other than the great progress we made, not much else happened today. New stashes of fireworks are surfacing and being launched again. More burn marks on the furniture, our clothes and skin. So far the ride home is going much smoother than the one out here. We’ve worked the kinks out of Helen. She’s working better everyday.
Mike’s cousin Josh, you have left him a few voicemails, he wants to call you back but doesn’t have your number. Call back and leave a number, thanks.
Winnebago Guys, from the desk of Aaron Tubergen
Liberal, Kansas
4257 miles driven,
roughly 655 gallons of gas later, we’re in Kansas again
July 4, 2007
July 4, 2007
Independence Day
Helen was on her way east through Phoenix at 12:01am the morning of July 4. There was a short dispute over what time zone we were in, but when it was decided that it was Independence Day in Arizona the fireworks started going off. We didn’t pull over to light them though; we shot them at each other, inside the Winnebago, on the highway. It was exciting throwing bottle rockets into the air, not knowing where they would shoot. There was no safe ground. Even after the initial wave of fireworks was gone, others would be going off sporadically throughout the night. A couple of bottle rockets to the chest, and a few packs of black cats in the lap, we all got hit. I have clothes with holes burnt in them to prove it. It was pretty intense, but it was the best way we knew how to celebrate America’s Birthday at 3:00am on the road.
Later that morning, after the fireworks had died down and the transmission was done giving us some problems, we found a small town to stop at and sleep. There was a Wal-Mart and an RV park there; a perfect place to stop. The forecast predicted temperatures to exceed 100 again today, but this time we would be in the Bago, not an air conditioned hotel room. We quickly bought a day pass for the RV lot, got plugged in, and enjoyed some AC and cable TV. With gaps, spaces, and broken windows we didn’t hold our cold air very well. It was still very hot inside Helen, but tolerable.
Waking up to the mid-afternoon heat, a few of us (Ian, Luke, Mike, and Aaron) went into the Wal-Mart to burn some time. We brought quarters for the vending machines. Sam’s Choice pop is only 25 cents a can, and they were cold too. We stocked up on pop and began browsing the rest of the store. We found a few other items that we would later come back to after grabbing our wallets. Eight hot dogs and buns divided by four guys turned out to be like 41 cents per guy; a deal we couldn’t turn down. We bought the hot dogs and made them in the microwave at the break room/ dining area.
After almost three hours inside Wal-Mart, making our 4th or 5th lap around the store, Mike called his parents. It was through this phone call that we heard the best news we had heard all day. In the spirit of Independence Day the Nyhofs were donating one large steak dinner to the Winnebago Crew. Abandoning our dinner plans for Ramen Noodles, we sprinted to the meat section to select our prize dinner.
In the end we grabbed way too much food for our road-trip shrunken stomachs. We ate until it hurt, and then a little more. We ate outside, because it was getting a little cooler. The sun was setting, and the wind was picking up. We packed up the grill and were getting ready to go inside and take some real showers, when the big fireworks put on by the city started. We had no idea that the small town we were in would have such a gigantic firework show, but it was pretty big. The launch site couldn’t have been too far away because we could hear the patriotic music that was being played with the show. We all stood in the middle of the RV park, caught between chores, watching the fireworks. After the grand finale we all took showers, cleaned up and got ready for the road again.
We left just after 10:00pm, earlier than normal because of the sudden drop in temperature. It was a good holiday spent in the Winnebago. Our stomachs were full of good food, we still have some more fireworks, and we’re making our way closer and closer to home. Happy Fourth of July everyone. God Bless America, and Helen, and the Nyhofs for their delicious steak donation.
Winnebago Guys, from the desk of Aaron Tubergen
Benson, Arizona
We’re on our way back.
Independence Day
Helen was on her way east through Phoenix at 12:01am the morning of July 4. There was a short dispute over what time zone we were in, but when it was decided that it was Independence Day in Arizona the fireworks started going off. We didn’t pull over to light them though; we shot them at each other, inside the Winnebago, on the highway. It was exciting throwing bottle rockets into the air, not knowing where they would shoot. There was no safe ground. Even after the initial wave of fireworks was gone, others would be going off sporadically throughout the night. A couple of bottle rockets to the chest, and a few packs of black cats in the lap, we all got hit. I have clothes with holes burnt in them to prove it. It was pretty intense, but it was the best way we knew how to celebrate America’s Birthday at 3:00am on the road.
Later that morning, after the fireworks had died down and the transmission was done giving us some problems, we found a small town to stop at and sleep. There was a Wal-Mart and an RV park there; a perfect place to stop. The forecast predicted temperatures to exceed 100 again today, but this time we would be in the Bago, not an air conditioned hotel room. We quickly bought a day pass for the RV lot, got plugged in, and enjoyed some AC and cable TV. With gaps, spaces, and broken windows we didn’t hold our cold air very well. It was still very hot inside Helen, but tolerable.
Waking up to the mid-afternoon heat, a few of us (Ian, Luke, Mike, and Aaron) went into the Wal-Mart to burn some time. We brought quarters for the vending machines. Sam’s Choice pop is only 25 cents a can, and they were cold too. We stocked up on pop and began browsing the rest of the store. We found a few other items that we would later come back to after grabbing our wallets. Eight hot dogs and buns divided by four guys turned out to be like 41 cents per guy; a deal we couldn’t turn down. We bought the hot dogs and made them in the microwave at the break room/ dining area.
After almost three hours inside Wal-Mart, making our 4th or 5th lap around the store, Mike called his parents. It was through this phone call that we heard the best news we had heard all day. In the spirit of Independence Day the Nyhofs were donating one large steak dinner to the Winnebago Crew. Abandoning our dinner plans for Ramen Noodles, we sprinted to the meat section to select our prize dinner.
In the end we grabbed way too much food for our road-trip shrunken stomachs. We ate until it hurt, and then a little more. We ate outside, because it was getting a little cooler. The sun was setting, and the wind was picking up. We packed up the grill and were getting ready to go inside and take some real showers, when the big fireworks put on by the city started. We had no idea that the small town we were in would have such a gigantic firework show, but it was pretty big. The launch site couldn’t have been too far away because we could hear the patriotic music that was being played with the show. We all stood in the middle of the RV park, caught between chores, watching the fireworks. After the grand finale we all took showers, cleaned up and got ready for the road again.
We left just after 10:00pm, earlier than normal because of the sudden drop in temperature. It was a good holiday spent in the Winnebago. Our stomachs were full of good food, we still have some more fireworks, and we’re making our way closer and closer to home. Happy Fourth of July everyone. God Bless America, and Helen, and the Nyhofs for their delicious steak donation.
Winnebago Guys, from the desk of Aaron Tubergen
Benson, Arizona
We’re on our way back.
July 3,2007
July 3, 2007
Motel 8
Earlier in the trip, Ian’s parents offered a night in a hotel as a gift for us to use when we needed to get off the road. There have already been a few nights where we thought we needed to get off the road, but we knew to save our hotel night for the desert, round two.
Helen was still overheating under the bright desert sun, so we were again limited to nighttime driving only. Leaving LA at about 10:30pm last night, we drove all night, into Arizona. It was amazing the difference a few hundred miles made in the temperature. We left LA wearing sweatshirts and drove into what would become a 112 degree desert afternoon. We needed to get out of the heat.
We all expected to use our Hotel night somewhere in the southwest but it became apparent that we needed it now. The black tar roof of the Bago absorbs heat, raising the inside temperature past the outside air temp. After a long night of driving we pulled over at a Motel 8 and checked into two rooms.
Immediately the AC was cranked to high and we moved our stuff in. Most of the day was spent in bed, catching up on the sleep that we missed out on the night before. After waking up, we took advantage of the electricity, ice, AC, and hot water. We made dinner out of the coffee pot, and used the ice bucket as a cooler for drinks. We watched movies on the hotel cable and played video games too. Looking out the window we were reminded how hot it was outside (112 degrees) and enjoyed our air conditioned room even more. After an old Bruce Willis cop movie, a raid on Ian’s room, and a knock on the door by hotel security, we packed up the Bago and got back on the road.
We’re driving all night again, trying to get through the desert as fast as we can. Tonight we’ve had few problems; a few transmission issues towards the end here, but otherwise a smooth ride. The goal is New Mexico for the 4th of July. New Mexico is a big firework state, like Indiana. Arizona and California are very strict with fireworks so we’re trying to make it someplace exciting for Independence Day.
Winnebago guys, from the desk of Aaron Tubergen
Quartzsite, Arizona
Motel 8
Earlier in the trip, Ian’s parents offered a night in a hotel as a gift for us to use when we needed to get off the road. There have already been a few nights where we thought we needed to get off the road, but we knew to save our hotel night for the desert, round two.
Helen was still overheating under the bright desert sun, so we were again limited to nighttime driving only. Leaving LA at about 10:30pm last night, we drove all night, into Arizona. It was amazing the difference a few hundred miles made in the temperature. We left LA wearing sweatshirts and drove into what would become a 112 degree desert afternoon. We needed to get out of the heat.
We all expected to use our Hotel night somewhere in the southwest but it became apparent that we needed it now. The black tar roof of the Bago absorbs heat, raising the inside temperature past the outside air temp. After a long night of driving we pulled over at a Motel 8 and checked into two rooms.
Immediately the AC was cranked to high and we moved our stuff in. Most of the day was spent in bed, catching up on the sleep that we missed out on the night before. After waking up, we took advantage of the electricity, ice, AC, and hot water. We made dinner out of the coffee pot, and used the ice bucket as a cooler for drinks. We watched movies on the hotel cable and played video games too. Looking out the window we were reminded how hot it was outside (112 degrees) and enjoyed our air conditioned room even more. After an old Bruce Willis cop movie, a raid on Ian’s room, and a knock on the door by hotel security, we packed up the Bago and got back on the road.
We’re driving all night again, trying to get through the desert as fast as we can. Tonight we’ve had few problems; a few transmission issues towards the end here, but otherwise a smooth ride. The goal is New Mexico for the 4th of July. New Mexico is a big firework state, like Indiana. Arizona and California are very strict with fireworks so we’re trying to make it someplace exciting for Independence Day.
Winnebago guys, from the desk of Aaron Tubergen
Quartzsite, Arizona
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
