Friday, June 6, 2014

On the Road Again!

Well, we're finally on the road again and are we happy!  Since we've been home from Sarasota it seems like our lives have been pretty nonstop busy--several trips, things to take care of around the house, and of course, getting the new RV and getting it all set up, along with the toad.  We had originally thought we might get away yesterday, but it just wasn't in the cards.  Since we had taken everything off the View before we traded it, we had to get all of that reconfigured on the new rig and it just took quite a bit of time.  So, reminding ourselves of our motto from last year--the no hurries, no worries tour--we just did what we could and went to bed last night (Wednesday).  Even though we were both too excited to sleep late this morning, it still took us most of the morning to get away, so we made it to just past Chattanooga, TN on our way west.  We stopped early since we were both kinda tired from the last couple of days.  Staying at Racoon Mountain Campground--reminded us of when we visited here several years ago with grandson, John.  He had come to Cherry Log for his annual Grandparent Camp, and we took a trip to Chattanooga for a few days.  Stayed at the Chattanooga Choo Choo, in one of the train car hotel rooms.  We came over here to do a cave tour, and after that John and I took a spin on the go kart race track--which, it turns out, is actually part of the campground.  This was before we had bought the View and we really weren't thinking much about RVing at the time, so it was quite the coincidence that this is where we ended up for the night.

Anyway, as we've been packing and loading up the RV over the last couple of days, Sophie has been quite confused and not a little concerned.  She obviously knew something out of the usual routine was up, and I guess she was worried that she may be left behind.  We had left her little mesh carrier on the floor, the one we use for her when we go in the car, or in a store, etc.  Well, she crawled into it yesterday morning and hardly left her spot all day, figuring that since she always goes into this carrier when we're ready to leave the house  staying in the carrier was her best way to ensure that she would not be left behind!  If she only knew . . . we've fallen so in love with this sweet little puppy that there's no chance we'd ever leave her behind!  Anyway, it was cute, and she did the same thing today until we left.  In fact, she was so nervous this morning that she didn't eat her breakfast at all!  But once we were on the road she seemed to calm down.  This new RV has a little window at floor level in front of the passenger seat so that's where we have her in her mesh carrier--she seems to like being able to see out the window at the passing scenery.

Well, folks, last night I just was falling asleep at the computer, so it's now Friday morning and I'll try to finish this so I can get it online before we head out.  Anyway, once we got into the campground, Sophie has spent some time exploring every inch of the new rig, and seems to be finding her space.  She still likes to get back into her carrier for security, but she's adjusting.  And the greatest thing is that she's clearly remembered the bell training we did with her in Sarasota--once we got home we hung the bells on the front door handle, but she never rang them.  We could never figure this out, but maybe it had to do with the house being so much bigger than the RV.  Anyway, we put the bells on the handle by the door of the RV and last night she went right to them and rang the bell--made us very happy!

Once we got hooked up and took a much needed nap, we went for a walk, but alas, the rain came on pretty soon.  It rained pretty hard, as storms were pretty heavy throughout this area of the southeast.  But just about sunset the rain let up and the sky showed off a stunning rainbow.  So we felt like this was a wonderfully good omen for our trip--no matter how confining a storm may be, and no matter how much it may rain, there's a rainbow there if you just take the time to notice.

So, we're off this morning, heading toward Memphis.  We're planning some pretty steady driving for several days, since we want to make it to Colorado to visit my good friend from high school and her husband.   When we were at the reunion they showed us pictures of their mountain home and it's just spectacularly beautiful, so we want to spend a couple days with them before heading on to St. George, Utah to see Sue Ann and Jim--readers of this blog from last year will remember these folks as the ones who led us on many unbelievably beautiful hikes throughout Zion National Park, so we're hoping to get some good hiking in with them before we make our way to LA.

The day before we left we were in Atlanta to see our daughter, Shelley, receive a big award from the Women's Resource Center to End Domestic Violence for her many years of advocacy on behalf of victims of domestic abuse.  I didn't get any pics from the event, but here she is holding the beautiful Frabel glass statue signifying the award.  Go Shelley!!
 Sophie, hoping that if she stayed in her carrier, Mommy and Daddy would not forget to take her!
 The rainbow at sunset at Racoon Mountain, TN













3 comments:

  1. Yeah!!! First night on the road in your new HappyTimes3 carhouse with now a family of 3! Glad Sophie is adjusting so quickly to her new home (Millie is still a nervous wreck whenever the View's engine is running).

    Sounds like you've got a GREAT adventure ahead! Can't wait to follow along!

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  2. You guys are amazing! Really looking forward to sharing your travels again this summer. The new carhouse is just beautiful. I know you're going to love having the extra space and being able to really stretch out after a long day of driving or hiking. Also happy that you can share your adventures with little Sophie! Take good care of each other and have fun!

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  3. Excited to go on the trip with you guys on happytimes...............

    Rod

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