All my life I’ve always come back to one thing, my need to feel free and the need to feel the breeze. The ride provides the freedom this gypsy needs, where every road is another blessed memory, a new experience to carry inside my journey. A sense of belonging to a familiar tribe—a brotherhood that goes beyond a bloodline. –Jess “Chief” Brynjulson, “Highway Writings”

November 21, 2020

We’re back in Bandera, Texas, after being away for nearly six months—171 days to be exact. Twenty-eight of those days were spent on the road, where we covered 3,575 miles through nine states, burning nearly 447 gallons of diesel. That translates into roughly 8 miles per gallon (mpg), not at all economical, but keep in mind we’re lugging around all of our worldly belongings in a rig that weighs about 35,000 pounds. I used to calculate our mpg every single time we fueled up, but it got kind of discouraging, so I quit doing that.

For about a week after leaving our workamping job, we meandered near the Virginia/North Carolina border, biding our time until heading to Nashville where we were to meet up with our daughter and grandkids. There we saw a different scenic stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway, and while we were disappointed that the fall colors had already faded, we were enchanted by the number of enormous rhododendrons lining the roadway for miles on end. Even though they won’t bloom for several months, it was easy to imagine how colorful and vibrant they’ll be come spring.

From atop the Parkway we could see a surprising number of Christmas tree farms, filled with row after row of trees of varying heights, from tiny to towering and everything in between. What was most unexpected, though, were all the private properties that appeared to lie right alongside the Parkway, as evidenced by driveways and mailboxes. It seemed awkward for them to be there—almost an intrusion to the otherwise idyllic scenery.

We stayed at a couple of Harvest Hosts along the way: a not-yet-up-and-running winery and a century farm, which is to say that it’s been continuously maintained by the same family for more than 100 years. What I love most about these places is the people we meet, talking with them and learning something about their passions. It’s nice to meet other dreamers. It also takes us along roads less traveled, to places we would not have passed otherwise.

We had to spend a week in Arkansas so that Dave and his brother could take care of some family business. Usually we stay in either Little Rock or Hot Springs, but since I was going to be left on my own, I looked for a small town alternative where I’d feel safe and could get around easily. In an unfamiliar city, I get so flustered having a line of cars behind me while I’m trying to follow the GPS directions to someplace I need to go but have never been, like a grocery store.

El Dorado (population 18,000) had it all. A good grocery store (Brookshire’s), a quaint, yet bustling, downtown square, and the South Arkansas Arboretum, where I walked the pups everyday.

Most impressive was learning about “The Eldorado Promise,” an initiative funded by the Murphy Oil Corporation, wherein any graduate from the El Dorado School District is eligible for a scholarship that covers tuition and mandatory fees to any U.S. college/university of his or her choice. The scholarship is renewable for five years, as long as the student maintains at least a 2.0 grade point average. To date, The Promise has helped more than 2,600 students. The positive impact this must have on individual students, their families and the community as a whole must be phenomenal!

While in Arkansas, I had a lot of time to think, and I decided I’d take a more proactive role in driving Felix. Up until now, Dave’s done all the driving and I’ve done all the planning and navigating, but because we’re going to be getting Texas drivers licenses, I have to be able to drive Felix because Texas is one of seven states that require a non-commercial Class B license for motorhomes weighing more than 26,000 pounds.

Have you ever heard the commercial for Trane HVAC? It ends with, “It’s hard to stop a Trane (train).” Well, it’s the same with Felix. It’s heavy and doesn’t come to a stop nearly as fast as passenger vehicles do. That, and speeding semi’s, have been showstoppers for me. But that thinking had to stop if I am to get a driver’s license here.

Perhaps not so coincidentally, last week I decided to take something called the 10-Day Miracle Challenge, with being able to drive Felix as my goal. But instead of 10 days, I needed my miracle to manifest in six, because we were leaving El Dorado on Tuesday. I’ve always been impatient.

I did everything the Challenge required, plus got a couple of signs from Home Depot to warn other drivers that I’d most likely be going under the speed limit. You can’t be too careful.

Well, it worked. Boy, did it work! I drove all the way from El Dorado to just east of Dallas on Tuesday (236 miles), and from there to Bandera on Wednesday (346 miles). Now, I’m not a religious person, but this is a testimonial to the prayer and the power of God, because I prayed. All. The. Way. Through Dallas. Through Austin. Through lots of construction.

It hadn’t been 24 hours since the time we arrived when somebody asked me where we’re going to go next, even though that won’t be until the spring. Is our nomadic passion that obvious? Actually, I have been giving that some thought…there have been some interesting workamping opportunities I’ve been researching. Also, we’ve put a deposit down on a 27-day Great Lakes RV tour beginning mid-July, which we’re hoping Covid doesn’t interfere with. Meanwhile, we’ve taken on a Meals-on-Wheels route here and besides that, just enjoy being in Bandera. It’s a great place to spend the winter!

Until next time, stay well, keep smiling, and wash your hands! 😷