Josephine Journey, update, final!: Day Thirteen brought us home! What a wonderful and fun trip! No (no) mishaps, no crosswords, no major frustrations, just fun and love, and seeing parts of our great country. We could not be happier. Our purpose, to meet fair Joshephine, was wonderfully accomplished, and we did so much more. / As we left Little Rock this morning, we did manage one-stop, to the Clinton Presidential Library (you know how we are!), just across the river from our camp. It was, of course, closed, but it is a grand and well-sited structure. We look forward to a visit inside one day. / We made our way to Brentwood, turned in the RV, transferred our household, and headed south to Huntsville. Arriving home was sweet, of course, but we really enjoyed this trip! / We want to thank you for your following of this adventure these past days. With every like and comment, we have felt your interest and support. It has been very affirming and fun to share this time with you. I thank you for reading! S

At this point I thought I would share a few other thoughts about the journey and process that some of you may find interesting. Do not feel compelled to read further, I may be a bit long, but here are some observations if you are so inclined.

-The short story is that moving about in a RV is easy and great fun! It is not a hassle, it is not cheesy, it is not a pain. It is really rather luxurious.

-Arriving at a camp and setting up is a ten – minute process. Unlike the time it takes to check in to a hotel room, speak to the clerk, find the elevator, walk down the hall, find your room, not to mention park your car, you have connected the vehicle, set up your chairs, made your cocktails and snacks, and find yourselves relaxing and taking in a pretty lovely vista.

-Departing in the morning is equally easy. The process may take fifteen minutes, and it is not a hassle, and you do not have to pack, you do not have to do the final check to see that you have taken all your things. You just bathe, dress, have a breakfast of your choice, disconnect, and head out. It is easy!

-The utilities in RVs work great. The AC is robust and cool, the heat is quite warm, the hot water is hot, there is a microwave and stove, and all the bathroom equipment works as expected as well.

-Spending thirteen days in a RV causes you to think about just how many square feet you need for living. . . . We were quite comfortable in our small space.

-It also helps to enjoy the company of your fellow traveler(s). Being in a RV adventure is a 24 – hour experience. We got along famously.

-There may be two ways of going in a RV. Our program this time was as transportation and protected lodging, Covid inspired. It worked great. This means that we mainly drove, toured some, camped, and headed out. We did not ride the bikes we brought, we did not use the fly fishing gear we brought, nor the hiking boots. Another way to use a RV is to drive less and do more. We aspire to do this another time, and we are already planning that adventure.

-Many of our nation’s urban interstate highways are in quite poor repair. Many of our nation’s rural interstate highways are in relatively or quite good repair. Northern interstates are worse than southern interstates based on ice and the weather.

-We saw a lot of animals! Lots of antelope, ducks, and deer, a few turkey, and several raccoons. Also, regrettably, “somewhere in the Black Hills of South Dakota,” I ran over rocky raccoon – a. Little fella just jumped out about eleven one night, hell bent to cross the road, regardless of where I might be at 75 miles per hour. Poor feller never had a chance, and I had no chance to spare him.

-A RV, at least a rental, is a truck. The ride is not like that of the cars we have; they bounce, they rattle, and they are loud. Next time we will upgrade and maybe that will be another experience. That said, we were very satisfied with our time in this vehicle (Class C, 30 – foot, Ford E450).

-It takes a few miles to become comfortable with driving the vehicle, particularly if you go fast, which we did. I found that for the first few days I gradually increased my speed and comfort level until I think I reached the tolerable limit of what the machine can easily do. I felt very good about my driving the last several days for sure. There is a lot more arm action and steering work than with the cars that we drive.

-We did not have Sirius radio, to which I though I was addicted. Many of the last days, however, we listened to our other music maybe 10% of the day, and had silence for the balance. I found that I played songs in my head, and it was fine. Also, we have not watched television in two weeks, and, frankly, I do not feel poorer for the lack.

-RV parks are amazingly secure and comforting. The parks are generally fenced and gated and are clean and nice. We stayed in KOA, Good Sam, a Colorado State Park, and a private park. People there have invested between $40,000 and $1,000,000 in their accommodations and they have driven and toured all day. When night comes they are tired and quiet, like you are. No one bothers anyone, and no one that is not supposed to be there is there. The camps feel very secure, even in urban areas.

-For me, as a driver, I have learned that 450 miles is a fine day, 600 miles is a long day, and 750 miles is a hellaciously long day. I can do all of these, with less desire to do the 750 – mile days except when you need to and are trying to cover a long distance. A 450 – mile day will likely put you at your camp before dark, which is nice for having a cocktail, grilling a meal, and enjoying an evening. One night like that we also played Scrabble (Yolanda won, 311 to 263, which was a pretty high scoring game.).

-Concluding, if you want to know more be in touch. We had a blast and have already scheduled our next trip, at which time we plan to drive, maybe in an upgraded unit and only to a 450 – mile destination.

Thanks again for supporting us and joining us in this adventure! S