A Different Life II

[Lily&Me]

Thank you, both.

I plan to leave Phoenix for home on the 7th, probably will take three days to do the 1400 miles, and I won’t do any sightseeing on the way as I will want to get home.

Get home in time to pack up and leave again mid July for summer adventures.

I will not have much of anything with me, either...a few clothes, toiletries and coffee.

It can only be just a return home.

Maggie

[Foiled Again]

Maggie, this will sound like a lecture.... because well, it is. 3 days 1400 miles + stops for heavy traffic, meals and walking the dog. EVERY 200 MILES to prevent blood clots and deal with fatigue... PLUS Post traumatic stress which can hit you right out of the blue without ANY warning. Ask me how I know... coming home from Colomial with Eddie, had a great time goimg to the Cape May ferry. Got the unique hatchback "inspected" by every employee of the ferry and about 3 dozen passengers waiting in line. Having a ball showing it off. Then got loaded on the ferry for the starlight run and started shaking and ended up hiding in the truck trembling and leaking tears. Finally napped until arrival at south end. Drove off and started shaking again. Had to stop in a church parking lot for hours, and got lost on back roads. Finally got back to route 17 and was fine until I got to the Bay Bridge Tunnel. Flop sweated for 17 miles. Pretty normal for the last 25 miles to camp... and the tongue jack failed AND the hand crank wasn't the right model. Neighbors helped. Wiring hadn't been secured properly, and wiring nuts and shrink wrap were needed. I figured out that a 12 mm socket and ratchet were the tools to manually unhitch about the same time.

Got camped and took 3 showers.... to get rid of the stank of fear sweat. Put clothing in trash can.

If I had expected... I would have taken the longer route home.. and taken 2 days.

You are going to go almost 500 miles per day. That may be "normal" but it is not your new normal. Plan to stop at 250 to 300 on the first day at least. Plan to be alert and focused every mile. Get home when you get there. There is NO schedule or event that is more important than your safety. Anyone who loves you would rather have you there to celebrate their birthday, anniversary, etc three days late than even think you pushed too hard to be on time.

I am not worried that you will have a health crisis on the road... but you owe it to yourself to take it easy! If you don't get shaky great, but I was still working and felt obligated... and drove when I wasn't 100%

Will not do that again.

Paula

[Lily&Me]

Thank you, Paula, for your concern, and feel free to speak your mind.

I do intend to head north a bit, get on the major highways, and just go.

I drove home 900 miles in two days after Doug died, traumatized and on automatic pilot, but did it.

I am doing okay driving my car, have become hypervigilant but that is okay.

I will be careful, and pay attention to myself and any symptoms that may arise, but let me tell you...I have been thru some terrible, terrible situations, that have left me scarred and battered, but soldiering on is what I do.

This feels like a picnic coming up, compared to some events I have had to deal with, but I will be careful and can take longer if I need to.

Being a morning person, I will be on the road early each day, and stopped by late afternoon, so there will be plenty of down time.

Lily won’t be with me, as I will be flying to Phoenix.

Thanks for your heartfelt concern, and I will be careful.

Maggie

[The Ice Man]

Originally Posted by Lily&Me

Ta-daaa...mine!

IMHO,this was meant to be. It shows us all how the tremendous following you have developed all pulled together to help you fulfill your destiny.


Congratulations.


If you fall off the horse, get back in the saddle...

[Lily&Me]

Originally Posted by The Ice Man

IMHO,this was meant to be. It shows us all how the tremendous following you have developed all pulled together to help you fulfill your destiny.


Congratulations.


If you fall off the horse, get back in the saddle...

Thank you, and I greatly appreciate all the public and private support I have received here.

I am one who believes that, whatever happens, you keep getting up each day, putting one foot ahead of another, doing your part, and things will fall into place.

Maggie

[bugsbunny]

So happy for you Maggie and look forward to your continued travels!!!!

Katy

[Air Cruiser]

Hi Maggie!

So glad that everything is working out well for you!

I don’t know what happened, but I posted a reply to this thread a couple of days after your accident, a very long post 😳, one of encouragement, but it never showed up on here. I kept watching for it, but no such luck! We had some health issues going on and I kept putting off reposting it as it took some time to type the original. Anyway, as everyone else has said, I am so relieved that you and Lily came through that experience relatively uninsured, and now am beyond happy for you in finding your replacement Interstate! Good for you and I feel certain you will do well in it.

Earlier, I couldn’t find your thread, and was so disappointed — I needed my “fix” in reading about you and Lily. So pleased to see you are continuing on with your thread!

Take care and safe travels!!

Deb

[Lily&Me]

Thank you, Deb, and hope the health issues have resolved.

We were uninjured, but were insured.

Everything has fallen into place with the new rig... insurance transferred over, they got new tires on for me, small HELOC in place for the difference between insurance payout and cost of the new rig, etc.

RV Master Techs in Phoenix has been wonderful to deal with, are going over everything with a fine toothed comb and will detail inside and out before I pick it up.

Meant to be, I feel. If I wasn’t meant to keep traveling, it wouldn’t have come together and become possible.

Leave with the grands in a few days for the UP, and we’re all excited about it.

There is a phenomenal amount of planning and prep to taking a 9 day trip with a carload of kids...but, I’m very good at that.

Maggie

[Air Cruiser]

Well, I reread what I typed earlier and I want to say that I didn’t mean to say “that you and Lily came through relatively uninsured”, I meant to say “relatively not injured”. So sorry about that typo.

I truly am happy for you that this is coming together as it is. I, too, am a firm believer that things happen for a reason; I have some things which have happened in my life which indicate that.

Safe travels.

Deb

[Lily&Me]

Kidlings and Grandma made it to Lake Superior, and we are spending the day on Madeleine Island tomorrow.

They’ve been super trooper travelers the past two days, not too many “how much longer” and are looking forward now to doing some fun things outside of the packed full RAV4.

We are all a bit pooped, just checking in.

Maggie

[OTRA15]

Very cool location! And I mean that literally -- we stayed in a small cabin on the eastern shore of Madeline Island ages ago, and the water is cold even in the middle of summer!

Have fun . . .

Peter

[tallytwo1994]

Originally Posted by Lily&Me

Kidlings and Grandma made it to Lake Superior, and we are spending the day on Madeleine Island tomorrow.

They’ve been super trooper travelers the past two days, not too many “how much longer” and are looking forward now to doing some fun things outside of the packed full RAV4.

We are all a bit pooped, just checking in.

Maggie

Maggie,

I was pleased to read you have found a replacement vehicle and it sounds as though the people are being very helpful. Glad you’re able to continue your travels and with less mileage on this one perhaps for even longer than anticipated.

Have tons of fun with the grands!

Carol

[Lily&Me]

Thank you, Carol.

I feel a bit like “I have all these miles I can now use”.


Maggie

[TouringDan]

Originally Posted by Lily&Me

Thank you, Carol.



I feel a bit like “I have all these miles I can now use”.





Maggie

And you can’t stop traveling until you have used them all!

Dan

[Lily&Me]

I like to think I will put a lot of miles on this new one.

The kids loved the ferry, Madeline Island and swimming in Lake Superior...cold water, and a rocky shore, but they cared not.

Tired kids, from fresh air and exercise, no electronics, sleeping hard...a good thing.

One of their water bottles spilled onto my phone yesterday, which made it thru the night but gave up the ghost this morning...1 1/2 hours in a Verizon store this morning got me into an IPhone 8. I guess I was due an upgrade, anyway, but it is never a quick process.

Had planned on going to a Copper mine today, but the Verizon stop and a detour got us way off schedule, then lost an hour as we headed east so that will wait til we leave here Friday.

Fort Pickens, lighthouses and swimming on the agenda for tomorrow.

They’re having a blast, and have been delightful.

Grandma is holding up well.

Maggie

[Lily&Me]

Waterfalls, even small ones, are exciting to landlocked town kids who have never seen such things...

Yes, we are 3 rather than 4, the Iowa grand did not come...

[Hittenstiehl]

What a nice picture they're getting so big. These memories will be life lasting.

Sent from my XT1254 using Airstream Forums mobile app

[Lily&Me]

This has been the best trip.

Waterfalls, waterfalls, and more waterfalls, seemingly everywhere and some involving mile hikes up and down into the woods.

Lighthouses, small museums, the Madeline Island Ferry, the Glass Bottomed Boat Shipwreck Tour, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, great views, beaches, sand, rocks, an absolutely hysterical encounter with mud and a paddle boat at this last lodge , a few restaurant meals, but mostly simple ones we prepared ourselves...and a fair amount of ice cream.

Grandma’s been a bit indulgent, but it’s a vacation, after all.

The kids have been absolutely wonderful, and handled electronics free days with little issue.

I am pleased I have been able to match and keep up with their activity levels.

Heading toward home today.

Maggie

[Lily&Me]

From today’s Washington Post...

Carolyn Hax: Traveling alone, you learn to follow your own star

[Lily&Me]

Yesterday morning, heading south and out of the UP, I stopped at a small shop whose sign advertised hot, traditional “pasties”, a local food originally developed by clever housewives to send as a hand-food meal in the lunch pails of their men as they headed into the mines for a long day’s work.

Finely chopped beef, potato, rutabaga, carrot, onion, salt and heavy on the pepper, in a turnover type crust made with lard or Crisco.

I wanted the kids to taste them, having visited the Quincy Mine and mining being such an integral part of the UP’s history....about 3/4 pound, per pasty, Caleb easily consumed an entire one...after breakfast.

The other two and Grandma shared a second one, Emma turning up her nose a bit while Camden pronounced it tasted “kind of like a pot pie”.

Fun.