The Last Hurrah (Post #1)

 This is our last trip with the trailer. 

The time has come for us to hang it up, so to speak.  We've always wondered what would go first: us or the trailer?!😟   Now we know!  We still have some good miles left on us, but Don no longer wants to mess with setting it up or taking it down when we travel.  Our Cougar 5th wheel doesn't have the automatic levelers which made for a much easier set up when we pulled into a campground.  There was also a lot of preparation work for each trip which included picking it up, cleaning, loading all the food and clothes, making sure everything is working, etc.  

This is our small caravan heading out from our neighborhood in Avondale.  Doris, Sandy and Jerry had come up on Wednesday from Tucson and stayed in the house with us. We left on Friday morning, February 9th.  The Five of us and our little homes on wheels.

The morning was very cool and cloudy as we headed towards River Island State Park, north of Parker, Arizona.  At least the rain had quit the day before.

Saturday morning at the campground was wet and windy. You can tell it was colder by just looking at Don's outfit (jacket and jeans).  Usually if it was 50 degrees or more, he had on shorts.   It had rained during the night. We were still glad to be together once again, enjoying time with our family and friends.

The constant breeze coming from the west and the clouds meant it was jacket time for all of us.  One of the best ways to deal with the wind was to sit behind Doris' trailer.  We had our own little group area, even if it took up part of the roadway.  😂

Our group is smaller this year, but there were cousins who came all the way from Reno to camp with us.  One couple backed out because they had a leak in their trailer......wonder why they decided not to show up?  Because of storms with wind and rain in the forecast?  Smart decision.

The line up: us, Doris, Sandy and Jerry.  Not in view is Jim & Shelly's motor home, Allen and Cheri's trailer, Bob and Kerry's motorhome and Greg and Lori's motorhome.

This time the campground had an abundance of blackbirds, who spent a lot of time roosting in the huge Eucalyptus tree by our table and common area.  We had to be careful of where we sat.  It reminded me of the old Alfred Hitchcock movie called "The Birds".  Needless to say, if any crumb made it to the ground, the birds took care of it.

Travels with our rig took us to the East coast and up into Maine twice, over the Mackinac Bridge, up into Banff National Park and down into the Everglades. We made it to the Oregon coast with it's spectacular beaches three different times. We hunted down covered bridges and lighthouses in different states.  There were years we traveled alone and explored by ourselves, while other times we joined up with friends and family.  Both ways worked for us.  It was a blessing to have our own bed each night, no matter where we were!  

Those times are now behind us but I have 4 journals full of notes, pictures on Facebook and a blog that keeps all the memories right at hand.  We are BLESSED!

Below is the map that I have highlighted all our travels.  Different colors for different years, some overlapping.  Remember, not all who wander are lost!