Our 2014 trip - #1

As some of you may know, our motor home is commonly referred to as "the bus". Colleen's niece's son was the first to call it a bus back during our first trip home in 2004. Then Nick also started calling it the bus when he was little. Jami set this page up and I think she probably thought it appropriate to call it the Adventures in the Short Bus. She is probably correct.

I can see us using this blog more in the future during different travels, but for right now it is a means to relay information to our family and friends on our trip to Mississippi/Michigan/Ohio/California over the next couple of weeks. So here is how our adventure has gone so far:

DAY 1 was not a real good day. First we got started about 2-1/2 hours late. I thought we might be slow the first day, but not that late. Then just after we got onto I-5 south, we were hit by a dust devil/small tornado. I don't know when a dust devil becomes a tornado, but this had to be close. Blew the vent cap off of the black water tank and unfurled the awning. We had a similar problem with the awning before, so we knew how to fix that. Then when we finally got to the park in Bakersfield we discovered that one of the batteries was going bad on the coach. That's why we did a shake-down cruise to Plymouth last month was to find out if we had any problems. Weather was cool.

DAY 2 was a little better. This was Mother's Day, so I took Colleen back Sears in Bakersfield to get her a Mother's Day present. I had the batteries checked and found out that not one of the batteries was bad, but both of them were bad. So I replaced both batteries - Happy Mother's Day Colleen. We finally got on the road late again. Had to stop in Tehachapi for gas (very bad idea) and I think we ended up in the most expensive gas station in town. But we made it to Kingman, Arizona that night, kind of late, but safe. We thought we did fairly well on time, but then discovered we had crossed into a different time zone and added an hour, still cool outside.

DAY 3 was a pretty uneventful day. Hit the road and got into camp in Gallup, New Mexico at a decent hour, some wind, but not too bad, and no mechanical problems. Not a bad campground either, but it was still pretty cool (we're talking highs of 58 in California, Arizona, and New Mexico and we have mostly short-sleeve shirts).

DAY 4 - 6 are all pretty good days. We travel on days 4 and 5, make good time, a little gusty winds every once in a while, but make pretty good time. Day 4 we stop at a KOA in Tucumcari, New Mexico. Nothing to rave about, but OK for one night. Day 5 we got snowed on coming out of Albuquerque, but made good time and made it to Wichita Falls, Texas.  That's where we are today, a down day for a little rest, and it's in the mid 80s. Tomorrow we're on the road again.