Racing for Arizona

Hello Dear Friends

As I write we are sitting in the middle of high plains desert, surrounded by sand cliffs and stunted trees and low growing vegetation.  I was surprised to even get a signal strong enough to bring up the Internet, so I rushed to log in and send you all a message.  I have a number of posts ready to upload but until we get into more civilization where I will have a stronger signal, I can upload text only.

As you might have guessed, we are back in the lower 48.  We are actually just off Highway 50 dubbed the Loneliest Highway in the United States (and also a Pony Express Highway).  It winds and winds through endless miles of a different type of desert than what we have seen in the past.  While there is a beauty about it, it is also repetitive and -- lonely.  After driving for a little more than eight hours yesterday, we finally ended up here at a way station in the middle of nowhere in a gravel area on the edge of cattle land.  The smell of cattle dung hangs in the air and a haze covers the land promising a hot day.  After spending the summer in cooler climate, I dread the heat!

But I digress.  We are rushing to get to Prescott, AZ to an Open Range RV dealer.  Twice during our trip, the largest of our slides has failed and we were stuck trying to find someone to help us.  At the last event, the service tech told us that the motor needed to be replaced sooner rather than later.  We decided it would be prudent to do it before we head across country.  Long story shortened, our best course of action is to stop at Prescott where it is cooler than it will be in the Phoenix valley and have the work done there.  Fortunately, it will be under warranty but it also means it will take a few days to get authorization, yadda, yadda.  So we have been breaking our rule of not traveling more than 250 miles in a day in order to give us more time to get the work done.  Yesterday and the day before, we were caught by our own lack of proper planning.  We headed out and did not realize that it was such remote country without many places to stop or get gas!  Reminded me of the Yukon.  Once on the road, we had no choice but to keep pushing.  I have to say, the girls and I were complete undone yesterday by the time we stopped.  Luckily, we found this way station where truckers seem to pull off and stop for sleep or we would have had another hour and a half to drive.  Poor Jim, he was so exhausted he looked pale as a ghost.

Today will be different.  We will only drive four hours and stop for the night.  Thursday is the day of our appointment and we will have only two hours remaining to drive to get there early.  Savannah for sure will be happy.  The last hour we drove yesterday she was beside herself.  Pacing the back seat and panting as if she could not stand another minute.  I understood how she felt.

I have several final posts to share with you from the remainder of our trip out of Canada and into the US.  While the Alaska trip is completed, our adventures are just beginning.  I hope you will continue to head out with us as we embrace each day's adventure.  Love you all.....