Imagine it’s September 24, 1999. I’m at work and I get the call that my daughter, Kristin, is in labor and on her way to the hospital. Hours later…and I do mean hours…I get the honor of holding this little bundle in my arms.  My granddaughter, Savannah. Unlike this photo, she was wide awake, not crying, just awake…and as I held her she studied me as I talked to her. It felt like I was being studied through the eyes of an old soul. Clearly, she was connecting my voice to my face.

I knew she was special when I watched her organize the movies on the endcaps of the local Blockbusters – she was less than three at the time. Those early years of watching and enjoying her great imagination and her love for infomercials continue to make me smile. There were the times we’d be camping and using my walkie-talkies while we engaged in a sci-fi exchange. I loved playing into her made-up a world that others might not understand.  Savannah has shown me two distinct sides of herself through the years. One that is so filled with imagination she is almost hard to keep up with – the other side so serious and insightful you would look to see if it was her speaking or some adult that had taken over her body. I remember driving her to daycare one morning when she was four-years-old. We drove along quietly, and then I hear from the back set, “Poor choices give the enemy power.” What child makes that connection at four? Or when she was five-years-old and she spends our travel time in the morning explaining how she had plans to create a fossil fuel from corn. It was way over my head, but she sure sounded like she had it figured out. It has always been as if she was an adult in a child’s body.

As time went on, and with a lot of pleading to doctors and others by her mother, the right doctors diagnosed Sav with ADHD and autism. Because she is high-functioning autistic, Sav uses her voice to help bring awareness to others in order that they might understand autism and try to reduce the stigma attached. Savannah is an amazing, complexed, beautiful, and great young lady. But that greatness comes from a lot of hard work, and it equally fell on her mom’s shoulders. Kristin spent years educating herself while her daughter learned to work alongside the rest of the world. Kristin has always made sure she fought to get Savannah every opportunity for training, counseling, and any other tools Sav might need to be a success in life. Special-needs children take special tools, and none of it comes without frustration, time, patience, and determination…on both the child’s and the mom’s end, along with family’s love and support. And now, today, Savannah has become, and not surprisingly, a huge success in her life. 

Life, like a book, has many chapters. And as Savannah ends the chapter on her last year of high school, a new chapter will begin. Soon she will be on her way to college. I am beyond proud of all her accomplishments. Her intelligence (SAT score of 1210), her creativity that she transforms into amazing drawings, and her sweetness. Her striking blue eyes and dark brown hair with blonde tips peaking out here and there will light up a room.  I know Eastern is going to be getting a wonderful student. One that will truly take learning seriously, and excitedly…well, as excitedly as learning can be…lol.

However, this new chapter takes her away from what is familiar, and into the unknown. A huge step for any young person going off to college, but even more so for any level of autism. New sounds, new people, new food, new routines, new textures, and new smells…even down to the bed she will rest her head on every night. Though we are all so proud of her and excited for her next adventure…as you can see from her sister’s enthusiastic jump… and other family photos filled with smiles, she will be missed. She will no longer be hanging out on the couch binge-watching a show or having weekend DND (Dungeons and Dragons) marathons. My treasured memories of having her spend the night to binge-watch all the episodes of Big Bang Theory. Instead, she will add chapters to her book as she continues to grow emotionally, expand her knowledge, and venture into adulthood. 

In truth, Savannah has amazed me from her early years and continues to amaze me today…I have no doubt she will always leave me speechless and smiling at whatever she is accomplishing.

Congratulations, Miss Savannah Overby…job well done…love you forever and a day 🙂

We had two main stops planned in Utah – Zion National and Bryce Canyon. Neither disappointed us. The rain came in the day we planned to hike around Zion, so we did a drive-thru instead. It is a magnificent display of rock cliffs that will strain the best of necks. There were spots you could see the lava rock as it formed layers.  Luckily, the rain stopped long enough for me to get some photos, but by the time we got back to the RV park, the rain was in full force.

The next morning we woke to beautiful sunshine. While I was getting ready for the day I could hear Dan outside talking to our neighboring RV owner. Apparently, they had a leaky sink, so Dan stepped in to help them out. If you know Dan, you will know he never turns down the chance to help someone out, and traveling has not changed that quality. Once introductions were made all around, Mel and Colleen shared information on where they planned to stay in Bryce so I could call and reserve a spot. I love having a place recommended…kind of leaves that “risk” factor at the door. For the next two days, the four of us spent some time together enjoying dinner, shopping, and getting to know each other. We have gained lifetime friends. Another befriending of Dan’s was this little guy.  He was so used to people, all he cared about was a little nibble of food.

The first day at Bryce Canyon, Dan and I were able to get a couple of hours of hiking in before the last shuttle left.  It was amazing, to say the least. The next morning we decided to drive to St. George and Hurricane to see what it had to offer. Our possible two-hour round trip turned into four, but that still gave us time for another hike. We started at Peekaboo and worked our way through Navajo. For anyone who has done this hike…good for you, because it kicked my you-know-what. This shot is from the top of the Navajo switchbacks that about did me in. Unfortunately, I still had more climbing to go, but this will give you an idea. Yes, those are people below making their way up the path. By the time we finished the hike and were back up on flat ground, I spotted the bus and we lucked out for sure…it was the last one of the day. Trust me when I say I did NOT want to walk all the way back to the RV park…God had his eye on me and clearly took pity. All-in-all we did the majority of the hikes available, and two days later my calves are still a little sore, but I am glad I did the hikes. For me, it will likely be a one-time event…lol. Unlike the young couple who take endurance to a new level. They flew into Los Angeles from France and had ridden their tandem bike all the way to Bryce Canyon. Their plan is to ride throughout the United States…wow, now that is taking biking to new heights. I’ll be following their blog to see how they do.

Our final couple of days were spent with my stepdaughter, Jessica, in Salt Lake City. She came in for a work project, and the three of us were able to squeeze in some time together. We visited the Bonneville Salt Flats and Temple Square. Both had so much history and beauty to enjoy.

Utah did not disappoint in any way…it’s truly beautiful and so was the time we had with Jessica along with the people we met and spent time with while visiting. Thanks, Utah for all you had to offer.

I was out of WiFi range and my hotspot isn’t what its cracked up to be. I used my phone data sometimes just to be sure there wasn’t an apocalypse going on I wasn’t aware of…thankfully, that isn’t the case. I wasn’t quite sure how I would blog these travel adventures, but as I’ve gone along I have decided I’ll try blogging state by state. I was excited to travel into a state I’d never been to, so when I saw the “New Mexico” sign, I was pretty stoked. Our first stop was Santa Fe, but only long enough to grab a coffee and find a campsite for the night. We struggled with the corners getting into McDonald’s, but coffee was calling Dan’s name. Thankfully, with a little imagination, we managed to find a place to park. And it was worth the stop since a nice customer took time to help us with our navigational questions. After the gentleman gave us some insight into his city along with other helpful info, and with coffee in hand, we were soon on our way to our chosen spot for the night.

Since being self-inducted into the world of RV’ers we have (hopefully) learned our lesson when it comes to picking out campsites. This place gave us back our confidence. It was clean, safe, and friendly. We enjoyed a quiet night once we stopped, possibly due to our road-tired bodies. Dan, someone who never gets the flu or virus, picked up a bug and needed rest. So, we settled into a movie night and then a good nights sleep. Santa Fe will be checked out a bit more next time through since it appeared to be a lovely place.

The next day we hit the road and headed to Albuquerque for a couple of days. The drive to Albuquerque was beautiful. The terrain changes from one point to another as you come into the valley. The next RV site – Enchanted RV Resort was going to be our destination of choice for the next couple of night. Again we chose right. It turned out to be clean, friendly, and a welcome site.

But wait, there’s more…as soon as we pulled into our slot, we noticed another tire that looked, as Dan called it “soft” – his term for low on air. Sure enough, it had a screw in it and was leaking air, so off to the tire shop we went…again.

While we waited a couple of hours for it to be repaired, we drove to Los Lunas to visit friends from Denver, Roy, and Carol. They had recently moved to a beautiful community in this little city. It was great seeing them again, and hearing about the adventures they encountered while having their new home built. Since they had been there long enough to know the back roads from Los Lunas to Albuquerque they guide us back. Thankfully helping us avoid the traffic issues west bound due to construction.

The following morning we had plans to visit Sky City, but the wind kicked up to a point it wasn’t safe. There were times I thought the wind was going to pick us up and we’d find ourselves in Kansas…it was insane. Sometimes it would slow down enough that I only worried it would start skipping our home on wheels down the road, but everything held tight to the ground. The wind, however, had a sister-in-crime…the sand. Because of the sandy terrain, the outdoors became a dust bowl like I’d never experienced. If you went outside your eyes and bare skin were pelted with sand. When you escaped back inside you had to drink water to wash the sand out of your teeth. I can’t help picturing the sand we breathed into my lungs and only hope it won’t have a lasting effect.

Luckily by morning, the wind stopped and the weather was great. As we traveled to our tour spot for the day we took in the blue skies, warm sun, and friendly people. Sky City had been a friends’ recommendation, and we were not disappointed. The Acoma Pueblo consists of four villages, Sky City being one of them. It is built high on the ridge overlooking the valley. We were taken by bus up the hillside where Steve, our tour guide, provided the history of the village and its people. I didn’t really know what to expect, but what I found was that I was overwhelmed with the emotion history can evoke. Maybe I’m partial because when I was twelve my boyfriend was Native American and we were madly in love. But truly, the village is beautifully rich with its Native American history and I highly recommend the tour. I learned so much listening and absorbing first hand about the Native American culture of this Acoma tribe. I love that everything has a meaning…whether it is a design, a bead, or mother earth. There is a purpose for everything, and everything is given the respect it deserves.

The next morning we packed up and headed down the road to Arizona. All in all, I loved New Mexico. It is beautiful and filled with history I truly enjoyed. The topography is different than my past travels, even Colorado…so it’s like traveling to a new world. I didn’t get to see everyone or everything, but it was a fun adventure I’ll always remember.

One of the advantages of being retired is you are free to come and go as you please. So, if I missed a scenic road, and for family, I didn’t get to visit this round, I hope to come through again sometime.

Thank you to everyone who made our visit to New Mexico so wonderful.

I thought I’d only be blogging our life once a month, but as it turns out I have too much to say, and I never know when I’ll have WiFi…so I hope you won’t grow too tired of my babbling. Before I get to our Colorado Springs events, I want to share the day Dan and I spent with his good friend, Tony, while we were still at my stepdaughter’s home. Tony became our “Senior Tour” guide for the day since he was familiar with the place. We headed out for a two-hour drive to the Pawnee Butte National Grasslands. I mentioned this on FB, but I thought I’d share another photo.  On our way to the Buttes, we stopped and took shots of the valley, and of an old abandon farm. We traveled on to the Buttes and though half of the travel was on a dirt road, it was well worth it.

On the way back we stopped at a local cemetery. The history was amazing as you read headstone after headstone of children and families that died from the Spanish flu in the early 1900’s. My heartstrings pulled even tighter as I spotted graves with only a piece of cement for a headstone, or just a bag of cement, now broken and hardened in the weather, because not everyone could afford a proper headstone in those tough times. Their devastation was a daily experience, and I couldn’t help but shed tears of sadness. 

We left the Denver area and headed to Colorado Springs to start our real travel adventure. First stop in Colorado Springs was the Garden of Gods. It is a natural rock formation park that will have you dropping your jaw. Unfortunately, the entrance we took didn’t sport the sign the other entrance did that specified NO RV’s etc…and let me tell you, between Dan’s F350 and a 30’ trailer we found ourselves trying to maneuver 50’ of metal around corners not designed for anything other than a vehicle. Our final nasty turn took out a tire…as we expected. So, after Dan pulled over the best he could and changed the tire our next stop was…you guessed it, a tire shop. But that is only the beginning of our “Friday the 13^th” tale.

Next was finding a place to camp. We started calling RV parks, but one after the other was booked up. Finally, one gal gave us the number of another park she thought might be able to help us out. Thankfully, we thought, they had a spot so we made our way there a few minutes before he closed the office. Our eyes opened wide as we took in the view of a homeless community stationed along the sides of the driveway leading into the park entrance. I try not to stereotype people, but after the three break-ins to Dan’s truck in Washington, and the police telling us it is “homeless” getting what they can to sell…well, you can imagine our concern. However, we needed a place to park so we paid for two nights. Turned out the inside of the park was what we found to be more of a concern. During our stay, we witnessed two drug deals go down close to our camper. My upbringing gave me a lot of insight, so I know what I’m talking about. This told us we may come back from our day trip to find our tires gone…an expression I wasn’t too happy to hear come out of Dan’s mouth.

The next day we decided not to let our current living conditions stop our plans for our day trip. We took what might possibly have been our last look at our home on wheels, took a deep breath and headed to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. They have the most amazing giraffe exhibit I’ve ever seen. It is below ground so the giraffe’s heads are your level. People could feed them and even pet them, which I did, of course.   The zoo is built on the side of the mountain, and every exhibit is amazing. The reptile exhibit has beautiful glass art along with other art inside the glass cages. The whole experience made you smile. And bonus…since you are on a mountain, you enjoyed panoramic views of the valley below. I loved it all. Then we went back to the Garden of the Gods so we could pull into the different parking lots and take photos.  We entered from another side this time and there we found the notice about no trailers. Live and learn…lol.

Bonus – when we got back to the RV Park, all tires were still intact, and so was our home. The lesson we have learned quickly is that cities are not made to tow trailers around. That it is best to go outside the city to find camping areas, drop the trailer and enjoy the sights. Another lesson is to check all park reviews before signing up for more than one night, or any night at all. But the biggest lesson is to be patient with each other and to quote Sue Aitkins from Life Below Zero (one of my fav shows) “Don’t take it personal” – and she would be right. It’s simply a learning curve and it will get better.

As we wind down to the last few days before we hit the traveling trails I look back at what these past six weeks have involved. It’s been a lot of errands, fine-tuning, storing of items not required, and spending time with family and friends. Dan has equipped our travel trailer with a wood burning stove to ward off the dampness and chill of the PNW and anywhere else we need it. Propane is great, but if you run out, don’t have the electric hookup or your generator goes on the fritz and isn’t able to provide the power to run the furnace, you might need another way to stay warm and dry. That is when I rely on my husband and his “out-of-the-box” brain. His style may be a bit redneck at times, but he hasn’t disappointed me yet, and he gets the job done.

This lifestyle may not be for the faint of heart unless you do the one/ two-week travels and then back to your solid foundation home. Adjustments can be taxing on anyone, and I am not above those troubling times. I’ve had to work hard on my OCD when it comes to neatness. One item out of place, or extra items on the table and the place looks like a hurricane hit it…yes, that is an exaggeration, but small spaces equal big messes in my view. Day after day my OCD has been a struggle. One of the hardest has been the inability to have a perfectly made bed. My bed doesn’t have to just look good, it’s made to perfection. It’s always been my reward for a hard days work to crawl into a perfect bed and snuggle in with a good book. I’m learning to deal with an imperfect bed, but getting to this point hasn’t been pretty. If you knew how many times a day I wanted to quit this adventure you’d surely be disappointed in me. Add my husbands healing – or attempt to heal – foot issues causing crankiness, and well, it’s been interesting. I am temperamental at times, but a lot more than usual. The edginess that has filled this travel trailer could be cut with a knife. But with every storm, there is a calm, and that is when I finally let it go for a while and realize everything is temporary, and to simply sit back and enjoy the ride.

In less than a week the real adventure will begin. Soon having a perfect bed to crawl into at night won’t matter. The process to secure everything to eliminate a disaster in the trailer while driving won’t be an issue. The lack of order will be (somewhat) liveable. All the adjusting will be managed and replaced with days in the sun, and evenings with a glass wine lounging in our gravity chairs under the awning or a star-filled sky. Leaving my daughter and granddaughters will be the toughest, though I remind myself it’s temporary. Leaving other family members and friends is never easy either, but it’s our children that hold our hearts the most. Thankfully, they still make airplanes, so if I get too homesick I’ll fly home for a visit. By the time I write my next blog, I hope to have some fun adventure to share with you.

I look around and see so many homeless and I berated myself for being so self-absorbed to worry about whether my sheets are neatly tucked in or not. Life has a way of humbling us and bringing us back to reality. I am lucky to have a warm (thanks to my husband) home, wheels included, and good food in my belly. Will this really keep my OCD from creeping in now and again…nope…but hopefully regrouping my thoughts and priorities will be ever so slightly easier to attain.