Sat 7 October 2023
Going home day. We got an abnormally early start but we had to hookup and dump, so we didn't get on the road until 9:50. Google said the route was going to take 4:30 and we had a gas stop, so that would put our arrival at about 2:45. As usual, I forgot to note our arrival time but it was about 2:30-ish. The little google maps/phone navigator app had us going in circles to get on the interstate, trying to avoid a road closure that did not exist. Luckily we are smarter than Navigator, so we only did the inane circle once. But unluckily, since we're STUPID, we did do it once.
It was an easy drive, though. Even with the construction that always plagues interstate highways, the roads through Texas and Arkansas are better than those up north. They're flatter, for one thing, and have higher speed limits, for another. But there were a LOT of trucks on the road and a lot of cars, too. So our drive was slower than it might have been.
And so our longest trip to date is over. What have we learned?
Some will be obvious from the notes below. One thing to note is that packing with the plan of shopping mid-trip is okay, but it assumes you'll be able to find the foods you prefer in any place in the USA. I was unable to get Vital Farms eggs or even Happy Egg; nor could I find Smartfoods popcorn or Skinny Pop; they didn't have unsweetened Gold Peak tea; and I forgot to get fruit.
I learned that preparing vegetable foods for lunches is a great idea, provided I remember to eat them. I returned with two bowls of tuna-rice balls (onigiri) and almost two bowls of sweet potato-veggie sausage hash. But they were yummy!
I also learned that there are never enough jellybeans in the cupboard.
I think we both learned that Canadian Border Patrol is bad but American is horrible--so horrible, we may not ever cross the border in an RV again. Actually, I'd do it in a heartbeat...provided I was alone. The guys have an impossible job and all I want to do is make it as quick and painless for everyone as I possibly can. Answer the dumb questions, follow the pointless instructions, and get it over with.
And I learned that no matter what else you do on a trip, family time needs to be priority; birdwatching second priority. Sadly I spent way too much time on trivia (including sleeping) instead of fun stuff--what I was there for!
NOTES
1. Try harder to always schedule a full-hookup day on the last day
2. Plan shorter drives, with the possible exception of Interstate highways in Texas and Arkansas. Those are easy.
3. Before scheduling Pine Acres again, make absolutely sure they're not having a party weekend. Especially not a Halloween party (in September!)
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