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.