 A 737 whisked us to Houston while Gulliver stood watch over Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport’s East Economy parking lot. Upon landing, a shuttle ushered us to the Enterprise rental car lot, where a Chevy truck awaited. We loaded into it and set out on a two-hour journey to visit the property we had purchased unseen (other than pictures) after five years of full-time RVing. Since it was our first time in the state of Texas after buying land there, we had to make some stops at the county seat to take care of paperwork. That done, we pressed on, eager to see the property with our own eyes. We entered the small fishing community, navigated a narrow dirt road, pulled over, and opened our doors to tall grass in need of mowing. The mower we pay hadn’t gotten to it before our arrival. Thankful I had worn blue jeans and my cowgirl boots, I set foot on our land for the first time. Bob did so in shorts and sneakers, the overgrowth tickling his legs. After a cursory review of our two plots and a meeting with the general manager of the property owners association, we discovered a few surprises. A broken pipe While inspecting our property, we successfully found the RV sewer dump, but it was in need of repair. It appeared to have been hit by a lawnmower, with plastic pieces scattered in the grass.  We like to do projects, and fixing the broken PVC pipe was definitely in our wheelhouse. Although we didn’t have any tools with us, our friends in the community, John and Kristi, whom we had met on a transatlantic cruise, did. We borrowed a shovel and a saw and found the parts we needed at the Fishville Trading Post — a one-stop shop for dining, groceries, hardware, fishing supplies, and miscellaneous finds. Bob dug around the pipe with the spade, and we quickly learned about Texas black clay. It’s soft, sticky stuff that makes up the foundation of our property and is difficult to work with and clean off. We didn’t know we’d be back to playing in the mud so soon after getting stuck in it in Northern Arizona. After clearing enough of the earth from around the sewer pipe, Bob sawed off the elbow connector for the dump, steering clear of the electrical conduit that ran diagonally from the electric pole on the property to the sewer main. This instigated emptying of the pipe’s liquid contents into the newly created hole. We couldn’t proceed with our project with all that water there.  Bob used the replacement elbow joint to bail out the water. Then he discovered a crack in the straight pipe. Not wanting to revisit this project later, he sawed off the pipe to remove the crack. We cleaned the parts, and Bob painted the connecting edges with PVC pipe primer and cement. Then he stuck them together. He repeated the process for the elbow and the top pipe, which forms the threaded section the RV hose connects to. The only thing missing was a cap for the pipe. We created a makeshift one, filled in the hole, and headed into a nearby town for a more permanent solution. There we bought a pipe cap and spray paint to help prevent another mower incident. Returning to the property, we attached the pipe cap and inserted three metal poles in the ground around the sewer dump to help our mower see it amid the tall grass. Bob sprayed the poles and cap with orange paint as an added measure.  Pests and wildlife After spending 24 consecutive years in the Phoenix area and wintering there for the past five, we got accustomed to not having to deal with many insects and pests. Texas has a whole different climate, which bugs and creepy-crawlies like. With our property being near a bay off the Gulf of America, mosquitos are common, as are mice and snakes, which can easily hide in tall grasses. I have a much better appreciation for Texans wearing boots. When we finally found our water connection on the property, seemingly hidden under tall grass, we opened the lid cautiously, not wanting to experience another snake encounter. Fortunately, no creepy-crawlies emerged. Upon examination of our electric box, we discovered two wasp nests in it. Fortunately, they were accompanied by a number of dead wasps. Bob removed the nests and cleaned out the box. In the process, we heard some creature scurrying around in the incredibly overgrown plot next to our land. We never saw exactly what it was.  A cluster of trees What appeared to be a large bush at the end of our second plot turned out to be something entirely different upon closer inspection. Surrounded by tall, prickly weeds, the “bush” comprised five distinct trees.  As I studied the cluster trying to identify the types using Google Lens, I started to notice small insects flying around my head. Then a mosquito landed on my arm. I quickly captured some pictures and moved away. As best as we can tell, four trees are hackberry, and one is mesquite. Since trees are a rarity in the community surrounding our property, we plan to clear out the underbrush when we return to make the trees clearly identifiable and remove places for creatures to hide. Attractive community From the general manager of the property owners association to fellow community residents to store workers, everyone we met welcomed us with congeniality. We found the area quiet and peaceful, just our pace. Small towns within a half hour east and west offered easy drives to get supplies. We investigated both and sampled Mexican food and fresh seafood, two staples in the area. With plentiful water views a short distance from our property, we also visited two beaches — one covered in shells and another with more sand. And our VRBO rental house for this trip, 20 minutes away from the property, stood one block from Tres Palacios Bay. The quaint, one-bedroom cottage on stilts even featured a deck that offered beautiful sunrise views for coffee enjoyment. The weather was wonderful, with daytime temperatures in the 70s. And we experienced a thunderstorm while there.
The entire weekend left us feeling extremely happy with our property purchase. We look forward to returning to spend a little more time there and do more projects. You might also like 6 biggest surprises of full-time RV living.
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 When we learned that our friends Jim and Jenny had booked a trip to Scotland and Ireland, we jokingly asked if we could tag along, having always wanted to visit those places. To our pleasant surprise, they said yes. They were going with a few other friends who did most of the planning and welcomed us. All we had to do was pay, book our flights and lodging, and enjoy. We spent four days based in Edinburgh and five days based in Dublin. Here’s a rundown of our adventures in Scotland and Ireland, where speakers’ accents tickled our ears, cars drove on the left side of the road, and rain made a regular appearance. Castles When you think of Scotland and Ireland, you may picture towering castles, and rightfully so. With a lengthy history of conflicts that required places of defense, castles abound: more than 2,000 in Scotland, according to Juniper Tours, and 30,000 in Ireland, according to IrishCentral. With that many to choose from, exploring a few castles is high on most visitors’ to-do lists, including ours. Full of history and intrigue, these fortresses take guests back in time. Stirling Castle, for example, was the childhood home of Mary Queen of Scots, who lived in the 16th century, long before electricity and automobiles. Strategically located at the junction of Scotland’s Highlands and Lowlands, the castle played a key role in numerous battles, as depicted in exhibits taking space in some of its rooms. In Craigmillar Castle, narrow stone staircases beckoned us upward, leading to assorted areas, including a large dining hall where jesters performed and a suite where Mary Queen of Scots was believed to have recuperated during an illness after the birth of her son.  Standing majestically at the top of the Royal Mile, Edinburgh Castle, the largest in Scotland and one of the easiest to get to, gives guests a glimpse into early military prisons and prisons of war, as well as weaponry of that time period and a dungeon. But the most alluring sight there is the oldest crown jewels in Britain: a crown, a scepter, and a sword.  Attracting about half the number annually as Edinburgh Castle, Ireland’s popular Blarney Castle popular draws more than 400,000 a year for a chance to kiss the storied Blarney Stone and gain the gift of gab. Not wanting that gift or to wait more than 1.5 hours to see inside the castle, we enjoyed touring the expansive grounds, which were incredibly beautiful.  Cathedrals Both Scotland and Ireland are also home to numerous cathedrals, in recognition of their religious heritage — both Protestant and Catholic. The Gothic architecture of Protestant St. Giles’ Cathedral in the center of old-town Edinburgh lures visitors to explore its inner beauty. Entering made our jaws drop in awe. Gorgeous stained glass windows illustrated history and culture. And huge archways stretched to the ceiling, designed to encourage viewers to look upward, toward Christ.  In Dublin, Protestant Christ Church Cathedral stands only about one-third of a mile from Catholic St. Patrick’s Cathedral, which appears to be more of a museum than a working church, even requiring an entry fee. But services still take place there. The massive building is divided into various areas that house interesting artifacts and together form a cross shape. It’s an amazing sight to behold. Countryside and critters Getting out of the city to view the lush, green countryside is essential for a true appreciation of Scotland and Ireland. A tour to the edge of the world-famous Scottish Highlands greeted us with bright green grass, bushy trees, and expansive bodies of water that gave us a breath of fresh air after a few days in the heart of the city. No trip to the Highlands would be complete without a sighting of the legendary Highland cows, or coos, as the locals call them. Covered with long hair, these cattle are well equipped to handle the harsh cold, wind, and rain that are common to the area. Outside Dublin, we saw grassy panoramas dotted by sheep and cattle in every direction. Dry rock walls separated fields, and houses dwarfed in the expanse. One of our favorite experiences was watching a working sheepdog (a border collie) demonstration. After the dog’s handler explained the process, he put his eager dog to work. She took off running to the far end of the field. The next thing we knew, sheep were running toward us, herded by the small dog based on her handler’s whistle signals. Depending on what the dog did, the sheep would speed up and slow down.  A spectacular excursion in the Irish countryside is a trip through the Burren, or “rocky place,” to the Cliffs of Moher, which drastically drop 700 feet into the Atlantic Ocean. A rare sunny day gave us stunning views of the cliffs against the contrasting blues of the sky and sea as we navigated the far-reaching paved walkways and stairs for different perspectives of the magnificent wonder that’s a UNESCO Global Geopark.  Cuisine Because cows and sheep are the main livestock in both Scotland and Ireland, they’re also major food sources. We found lots of options of beef, lamb, and potatoes — and very few nonroot vegetables. Wanting to immerse ourselves in the culture, we bravely sampled unfamiliar cuisine. A full Scottish breakfast introduced us to black pudding (blood sausage), tattie (potato) scones, and the infamous haggis. We didn’t love the black pudding, but we did like the other options. Because of the spices and grains cooked into haggis, it has an appealing flavor. While in Scotland, we also tasted:
In Ireland, corned beef was nowhere to be found, although I did see a reuben sandwich on one menu. We didn’t find shepherd’s pie like we had hoped to. What we found instead was lamb stew, beef and Guinness stew (delectable!), bangers and mash, fish and chips, and seafood chowder — all of which we enjoyed. You might also like From open roads to the open seas.  Having been stationary for nearly six months — a seeming eternity for full-time RVers — we were itching for a travel experience. When some friends wanted help moving a trailer from the Phoenix area to Yuma, Arizona, we jumped at the chance. It would get us back on the road and allow us to visit my parents — a win-win. The plan included leaving Gulliver behind in Mesa, Arizona, and using the friends’ truck to tow the trailer. Ultimately, it led us to find adventure in unusual places. When you haven’t towed in a while, it can be easy to forget steps, such as checking connections and performing a pre-travel vehicle walkaround. We had to get back into our on-the-road mindset. We took the route through the city of Maricopa, which led us over numerous rolling hills before reaching the halfway point in Gila Bend. While on those hills, we heard a scraping noise a couple of times and determined it to be the trailer tires oscillating. Upon reaching Gila Bend, we pulled over to check on the trailer and quickly realized the true source of the scraping. The extendable leg of the electric trailer jack had come loose from its housing, allowing its foot to hit the asphalt on the hills and bending the extension. With it in that condition, there was no way to get it back into its housing. The right tool for the job Bob was able to remove the foot of the unit. This allowed him to get three fingers underneath — not enough clearance for safe driving the rest of the way.  We checked the Love’s truck stop for a sledge hammer to knock the extension back in alignment so that we could raise it into the housing but didn’t find one. We did, however, have a hacksaw with us. That turned out to be the right tool for the job. Bob lay on the ground and painstakingly cut through the metal pipe with the saw. With that done and out of the way, he loosened the bolts holding the electric jack in place and removed the unit from the trailer’s tongue. Although that rendered the trailer essentially stuck to the truck, it made for safe driving to our destination.  In Yuma, we secured a replacement electric jack from Harbor Freight and installed it. Problem solved and crisis averted. On the road again Fortunately for us, that was only part of the adventure. We enjoyed some time with my parents, and then we learned that our friends needed us to move the trailer again, this time from Yuma to Tucson. Although less excited about this relocation, we were up for it. Our travels took us through expansive desert, past Picacho Peak, and into Saguaro National Park — with more rolling hills. Good thing we had replaced the trailer’s electric jack. After we reached our destination, our friends told us they were going to fly us back to Mesa in a private Twin Commander plane.  We buckled in for a comfortable, roomy ride that gave us an aerial view of the Central Arizona Project canal system and the airplane boneyard in Pinal Airpark, a place we tried to visit once but didn’t have security clearance.
Thirty minutes after takeoff, we touched down in Mesa, culminating a few days’ worth of adventure and whetting our appetites for more. You might also like A Jurassic adventure.  Having traversed this great country as full-time RVers for about five years, we had heard about a gas station/store chain called Buc-ee’s but had never visited one. We just hadn’t happened upon a store on any of our journeys east, where most of them are located at the time of this writing (although they’re expanding west). That changed on a trip from Virginia to Charleston, South Carolina, for a cruise with friends Jim and Jenny, sans Tagalong. Our I-95 route passed right by a Buc-ee’s, so we decided to check it out for ourselves. What an experience! Fascinating Attraction As we pulled into the Buc-ee’s in Florence, South Carolina, myriad gas pumps (120) stretched across the property, attracting loads of people. With Tagalong temporarily out of the picture, we had no trouble weaving through the throngs of vehicles to make our way to a diesel fuel pump. That would have been much more challenging, but still doable, if we had been towing. Despite the mammoth size of Buc-ee’s locations, the chain doesn’t allow truckers to take advantage of its offerings. Jenny and I climbed out of Gulliver to work our way to the store. Our jaws dropped as our eyes scanned the massive amount of fuel pumps, cars, and people. The Buc-ee’s beaver mascot graced pool noodles and other merchandise lining the way to the door of the store, where visitors stood eating various delectables they had acquired inside. Nothing could have prepared us for what we’d find as we entered. The expanse of the 53,000-square-foot store took our breath away. We were at a loss for where to look, inundated by the noise of customers talking and cash registers ringing, and forced to navigate the labyrinth of humans and product displays.  On a mission, we dashed around hordes of people to get in the long and quickly growing line for the women’s restroom, afraid we might not make it to a stall in time. To our pleasant surprise, the line moved almost as rapidly as it grew. Buc-ee’s employs restroom attendants to point people to empty stalls for efficiency. Thanks to those attendants, the chain has also earned a reputation for having the country’s cleanest restrooms, according to Cintas. Plentiful Offerings With our bladders empty, we moved on to more important matters: filling our bellies. Bob and Jim joined us, and before we knew it, Bob and I had lost Jim and Jenny. We continued on, undeterred, to explore the seemingly countless hot food options: burritos, tacos, BBQ sandwiches, sausage on a stick, hot dogs, Buc-ee’s chips, and much more. We even found a beef jerky counter and a wall dedicated to prepackaged jerky.  Bob wanted to get a T-shirt, so we wormed our way to the clothing and merchandise area, where a plethora of T-shirt options, blankets, shoes, stuffed animals, and a whole lot more filled shelves practically up to the ceiling. Bob snagged a shirt he liked, and we headed back to the food.  By this point, the din of the many visitors and the explosive variety of goods and food choices overwhelmed my senses. I just wanted to hurry and get my food and get out.
After setting on a BBQ sandwich for Bob and a sausage on a stick for me, we maneuvered to the convenience store part of the establishment in search of a drink. We made our selections, and a nice young gal rang up our purchases, confirming that our experience was normal every day for her. We exited the building, thankful for relief from the cacophony, and stood outside to ingest our food while watching others enter the store to start their Buc-ee’s experiences. Monumental Destination Despite the overload to the senses, Buc-ee’s does a lot of things right. Unlike most of the truck stops we’ve visited across the country, Buc-ee’s has much cleaner restrooms and much better food options, both hot and healthy. For those reasons, we’d consider stopping again. Buc-ee’s also holds a couple of world records: one for the world’s largest convenience store, at 75,593 square feet in Luling, Texas, and one for the world’s longest car wash, at 225 feet in Katy, Texas. We recommend checking out Buc-ee’s for yourself if you ever get the chance. If you find it too overwhelming, you never have to go back again. But with the myriad food and product options, the fast-moving lines to the restrooms, and the numerous fuel pumps, you just might get in and out of it faster than you would at another stop. Buc-ee’s is sure to be an experience you won’t likely soon forget. You might also like What It’s Like to Stay in a Truck Stop at an RV.  Since 2017, Bob and I have volunteered to go on tour for two to three weeks every summer with the Commemorative Air Force Airbase Arizona. Bob first went in 2016. It took him a year of inviting me to activities at the airbase when we lived in the Phoenix area before I finally agreed to become a member. I haven’t looked back since. We had planned to head east this year on our travels before we knew the B-25J Mitchell and B-17G Flying Fortress WWII bombers were going to do the same. As a result, we found ourselves in somewhat close proximity to them many times. In fact, we visited the tour stop in Ashland, Virginia, when we were in that state. Typically, we board a commercial airline to one of the warbird tour stops and then fly with the B-25 or both the B-25 and B-17 to the next couple of stops before flying home on an airliner. This year, we got a call from the airbase crew scheduler asking if we could help at a stop that wasn’t part of our scheduled tour segment. Since we were in the vicinity, we decided to pitch in. That meant delaying our trip from Massachusetts to Michigan to fit in a weeklong stay at a campground in Plattsburgh, New York. And that meant Gulliver got to go on his first warbird tour. Historical Significance Plattsburgh is only about 20 miles from the Canadian border. The Plattsburgh International Airport, situated on the shore of the 435-square-mile Lake Champlain, was once the Plattsburgh Air Force Base. It still features the buildings and tower that hearken back to its military days in the 1950s, during the Cold War. But the airfield’s history doesn’t start there. The airport is actually known as “the longest active military installation in the U.S.,” dating back to the Revolutionary War, with involvement in every American war thereafter until the airbase's closure in 1995. Designated as a base for Strategic Air Command, the airport’s runway spans 11,750 feet and stretches 200 feet wide. Its size made it an alternate landing site for the Space Shuttle between 1981 and 2011. During WWII, the base served as home to B-47 Stratojet and FB-111 Aardvark bombers. So it made for an ideal stop on our warbird tour — other than the extra long runway. (The passengers didn’t mind, as it gave them a longer ride experience.) Call of Duty We arrived in Plattsburgh on a Sunday and watched the B-17 fly in the next day. While I worked, Bob spent most of the week wrenching on the B-17, which was due for its 100-hour inspection. Since he’s a certified A&P (airframe and powerplant), he needed to be there to sign off on the maintenance work. I was able to carve out a few hours during the week to help train two new ride coordinators on the flight system and proper procedures.  Gulliver transported us to and from the airport (about 3 miles from our campground), as well as to and from restaurants and the hotel where the rest of the crew stayed. He also helped shuttle crew members between locations and hauled tools and supplies from a hangar to the tour trailer after the maintenance was complete.  Gulliver was even on standby to tug the B-17 out of the hangar for its engine check but didn’t get called on. Instead, a tug did that job.  I took off Friday from work to help with the tour stop. Weekends on tour tend to be quite busy as passengers arrive for flight operations on both planes and purchase souvenirs from the tour trailers before we open for static tours on the ground. Then, people from the community show up to climb through the planes, take pictures, and buy mementos. The weekend in Plattsburgh was no different.
I helped as a ride coordinator and flight loadmaster, looking over passengers and engines during flights. Bob pitched in wherever needed. The B-25 arrived Friday afternoon as we were wrapping up flights on the B-17 for the day. After two full days on the airplane ramp, we packed up Tagalong and hooked him up to Gulliver. The next morning, we parked our rig at the fixed base of operations for the last day of flight ops for the tour stop. We stayed for a couple of hours before Gulliver whisked us away to our next destination, grateful for the part he played on the warbird tour. You might also like RV Living vs. Vacation.  Every summer, Bob and I volunteer to go on tour with the B-25 WWII bomber, “Maid in the Shade,” from CAF Airbase Arizona. The volunteering starts long before summer tour, requiring a time commitment, annual membership dues, and attendance at the annual ground school. Tour is a working vacation where we keep long days to fulfill our mission to educate, honor, and inspire. Fulfilling that mission involves opening the plane for static tours on the ground. Unlike some organizations, we let people climb into and touch our warbirds. It also involves selling Living History Flights to give people a feel for life as an Army Air Force crewman of yesteryear — minus the gunfire and bomb explosions. Passengers get to hear the engines roar to life, smell the smoke they emit on startup, and move about the cabin to different crew positions. As you can imagine, it’s pretty cool to tour with a plane like this. Despite the busy schedule day in and day out, it offers a number of perks. Here are four of them: 1. Travel  We get to go to some spectacular places. The airbase covers commercial airfare to the plane’s location at the start of a member’s tour if they agree to stay on tour for a minimum of 10 days (and meet all of the other requirements). I typically go for two weeks, and Bob commits to three. Bob’s first tour in 2016 took him to Missoula, Montana, and Everett, Washington. My first tour with Bob in 2017 took us to Penticton and Kamloops, British Columbia, and Lethbridge, Alberta. Together, we’ve visited Nashua, New Hampshire; Leesburg, Virginia; Bristol, Tennessee; Bozeman, Montana; Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; Cape Girardeau, Missouri; Springfield, Missouri; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and Kalispell, Montana. 2. Sightseeing  Because we keep a busy schedule on tour, we don’t get to do a lot of sightseeing. While in Bozeman, Montana, for example, we didn’t get to go to Yellowstone National Park, a 1.5-hour drive away. But that’s OK. When time allows, we do get to drive around and explore an area. We typically have Monday afternoons off after arriving at a new location for the week. That’s how we were able to check out the Bass Pro “Granddaddy of All Outdoor Stores” in 2021. A day off in Lethbridge, Alberta, enabled us to visit the Bomber Command Museum of Canada, which houses one of only 17 remaining Lancaster bombers. We also get to enjoy a different type of sightseeing by flying over each tour stop and from location to location. The landscape varies in each area. We got to cruise over the stunning beauty that is Glacier National Park. The scenic flight from Kamloops to Penticton, British Columbia, meandered through canyons formed by a river. Flying over the Mississippi River gave us a bird’s-eye view of the towboats that push barges of heavy, bulky cargo to cities on the river’s banks. In addition, we often get a chance to check out other airplanes. In 2022, those other airplanes included an airworthy F-86 Sabre, a fire bomber plane, and a C-45 Beechcraft on floats. 3. Amazing People  Each week we’re on tour requires a crew of eight to handle ground and flight operations for the bomber. In addition to commingling with amazing volunteers, we meet fascinating people. In 2020, for example, I met Tom Oberweiser over the phone. He requested we fly over his dad’s nursing home to honor the WWII veteran B-25 navigator on our way from Bozeman to Missoula, Montana. We gladly accepted. Although Tom’s dad has since passed away, honoring the vet continued in 2022. Tom and his wife showed up in Bozeman, two hours from their home, eager to meet me and anyone else on the crew who had been involved in the 2020 flyover. The couple booked a flight on “Maid in the Shade” to further honor Lt. Jack Oberweiser and get a taste of what his war days might have been like. 4. Inspiration  That contact with amazing people is truly inspirational. Although part of our mission is to inspire others, we often find ourselves inspired. When Civil Air Patrol cadets come to our tour stops and pitch in to help us in any way they can, it’s inspiring. When veterans come to see our planes, we find ourselves humbled and inspired. When sons and daughters of veterans visit us in honor of their parents, we can’t help but be encouraged. That was certainly the case when a gentleman named Bob flew into Kalispell on his Stearman biplane, unaware his family had purchased a ride for him on our B-25. Tears blurred Bob’s eyes as he shared about his father, who had flown more than 30 missions on a B-25, and his uncle, who had flown numerous missions on a B-17. Bob regretted the way he had treated his late father but was thankful to be able to honor him by visiting and flying on the B-25. We’re thankful to have been part of that exciting surprise. As I shared with a newspaper reporter, it’s truly an honor to be near and experience these warbirds and to do what we do.  You might also like An Authentic Texas Experience.
 Spain does a few things extremely well. It has designated bike/scooter lanes separate from where vehicles travel and pedestrians walk. It has inviting outdoor eateries down its many narrow alleys. It features amazing architecture. And workers keep it beautifully clean. How do we know? We embarked on a transatlantic cruise from Tampa, Florida, to Barcelona, Spain, with stops in Bermuda; the Azores; Malaga, Spain; and Valencia, Spain. Here are the highlights. Island Adventures Although we delight in sea days, we enjoy visiting ports of call too. After three days at sea, we disembarked in Bermuda. Rented bikes gave us wheels to tour the pink beaches, where Portuguese man o’ war in the sand deterred us from entering the water. Realizing we were no match for the narrow, hilly roads we had to share with motor vehicles — even if they were only going 25 mph — we returned the bikes to explore on foot. Four sea days later, we fell in love with the quiet, laid-back culture of the Azores, where commercialism is kept at bay. Our tour guide, Telmo from T4W, gave us a comprehensive taste of life on Sao Miguel Island, the largest of the nine islands that make up the archipelago that belongs to Portugal. Telmo entertained us with folklore about how the blue and green lakes came to be and how old women throwing rocks from the top of a cliff into the bay kept would-be invaders from overtaking the island. We sampled Portuguese coffee and farm-to-table delicacies from the livestock and produce on the island, including custard tarts and fresh blackberry cheesecake. Cultural Immersion Malaga, Spain, treated us to a familiar sight and taste: Dunkin’ coffee. After caffeinating, we toured the city on rented bicycles, getting past the typical tourist traps to experience a less crowded beach, even dipping into the Mediterranean Sea up to our necks. Having made fast friends with our assigned dinner companions on the cruise, we joined Frank and Pam to explore the city of Valencia. A bus delivered us to the heart of town, where we had a wonderful time walking the alleys, taking in the city’s beauty, and sampling local meats and cheeses. The cruise came to an end in Barcelona the morning of Mother’s Day. It happened to be the same day as the Barcelona Marathon, so we sat and watched runners pass us by for about an hour, thrilled at the opportunity to see such an event in person rather than on TV. Wanting to make the most of our day in the city, we navigated to the Basilica of Santa Maria del Mar, a 14th-century cathedral built over a total of 55 years, with setbacks due to an earthquake and a fire. Today, it’s open to visitors daily. Arriving just in time for the Sunday mass, we decided to stay. Bob used Google Translate to try to understand the message. The app got some things right, but others it didn’t, such as something about six German sisters with ducks. That gave us a good chuckle. From there, we wandered the narrow alleys in search of lunch, stopping at a little place where we ordered mussels, a cured meat plate, and a cheese plate. But the best part was the toasted fresh bread smothered with olive oil and tomatoes. I risked a gluten-induced headache to partake. The bread melted in my mouth with explosive flavor. Delicioso! And I’m happy to report no headache ensued.  The Longest Travel Day
We spent the night in Barcelona and headed to the airport early the next morning for our required COVID-19 test before we could fly back to the United States. After getting confirmation that we both passed the test, we headed to an airport lounge for breakfast before boarding a plane to gain back the six hours we had lost traversing the Atlantic Ocean. Arriving at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York eight hours later, we quickly learned why three hours are needed for international flights. We had to jump through a lot of hoops: customs, a passport check, and navigating to the correct gate. We connected through Atlanta before landing in Tampa, Florida, where a parking lot attendant whisked us to the lot where we had left Gulliver 15 days earlier. Happy to be reunited with our vehicle, we climbed aboard and drove two hours to reach Tagalong, finally arriving home at 3:30 a.m. after 28 hours of travel. What a day! You might also like Homeless for 3 Days.  It should have been an easy brake job. Bob had all the parts to replace the trailer brakes and the mechanical know-how to get the job done. The problem was trying to lift all of Tagalong’s 17,000 pounds to get the tires off. Bob had successfully jacked up the trailer before to grease the axles. We had hooked it up to Gulliver for better stability and carefully raised Tagalong’s back end. Bob had also succeeded in lifting Tagalong when we needed to change a flat tire. When Bob attempted to lift Tagalong this time, however, I received a text message while working across the street at my cousin’s house: “I broke the trailer. Come see.” Thoughts flooded my mind as I made the short trek across the street. “Oh no! That’s our home!” “At least we’re with family and have time before we plan to journey on.” “That’s more good fodder for the blog.” Jacking the Trailer: Take 2 The pressure of Tagalong’s weight against the jack ended up breaking the welding joint of a metal beam spanning the trailer’s underside. Fortunately for us, the farm mechanics were having a slow day, and one of them had time to re-weld the joint on our trailer. After that, Bob tried a different method for his second attempt at raising the trailer. To make up for the gap between the jack and Tagalong’s main structural I-beam, he used an 8-inch section of a 6x6 beam. As the beam took on Tagalong’s heavy weight, it couldn’t stand up under the pressure and split in two pieces, rapidly dropping the trailer back down. Thankfully, Bob stayed safe during that ordeal.  The difference between this time and the previous successes of lifting the trailer had to do with the ground. Here, we started from an uneven rather than level surface. Plus, it had rained recently, which only complicated matters by making the ground softer than normal. Saying Goodbye We decided not to attempt the brakes a third time but to get professional help. Because Bob had planned to do the work, we had all of the parts. That meant we’d only have to pay for labor. A local place about 10 minutes away offered the service we needed but had a reputation for not getting to jobs quickly. We wanted to be homeless for as little time as possible. Dropping off your home is an eerie and humbling feeling. And this time, we left Gulliver too. We reminded the shop techs they had everything we owned, and then we watched one of them drive our earthly belongings away, leaving us with the clothes on our backs and a few things we had taken to my cousin’s house.  It brought me back to the age of 10, when I stood with my family as we watched the mobile home we had lived in for a year drive down the street and out of our lives. We had rebounded from that short time of homelessness just fine, so I had hope Bob and I would rebound from this one too.
A Blessing in Disguise One day at the shop stretched into two. Bob got a call notifying him that our trailer would definitely be ready for pickup by the end of that second day. But a subsequent call informed us of a new discovery. The shop successfully changed the brakes and the wheel bearings, but the trailer brakes still weren’t grabbing. A larger problem loomed, but the techs wouldn’t be able to troubleshoot it until the following day. This explained the problem we first noticed when leaving our daughter Megan’s in Tennessee. The electric trailer brakes didn’t grab like they should — a huge safety issue. We were able to increase the grabbing power of the brakes and stop when needed, but this new discovery confirmed the brakes themselves weren’t at fault. Rather, the issue lay with the wiring or a connection. Had Bob succeeded in changing the trailer brakes, we would have presumed the trailer was good to go. We wouldn’t have attempted to use the brakes until hooking up the trailer to Gulliver and leaving for our next destination. So, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise that we ran into so many issues with trying to change the brakes. The techs replaced a small section of faulty wiring and, after three days, we got our home back. This whole experience left us with immense gratitude — for our safety, our home, Ethan who welded the beam back together, my cousin Debbie's hospitality in our time of homelessness, and the professionals who discovered, troubleshot, and repaired the source of the problem. God is good.  “The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry,” penned Scottish poet Robert Burns. That saying applies well to full-time RVing, where plans change constantly. We had planned to spend a few nights near Amarillo, Texas, at a city park that offers free water and electricity, followed by a week in New Mexico with Boondockers Welcome, before returning to the White Mountains of Arizona and then the Valley of the Sun for the winter months. Instead, we covered about 670 miles in 13.5 hours between Oklahoma City and Gallup, New Mexico, making our first stay in a Walmart parking lot, where the store’s outdoor radio played all night long. The next day, after another five hours and 265 miles, we arrived in the Phoenix area to help Bob’s mom after she fell and broke her hip. She had a partial hip replacement and is on the road to recovery, enduring physical therapy. We didn’t know it at the time, but the warmer temperatures we experienced in Oklahoma were a harbinger of what was to come. We traded the plains for the Valley and its 90+-degree weather. And that’s only one of the many transitions in our lives right now. Squeaky Clean Gulliver ate a lot of bugs and gathered substantial dust on the journey. So, he got a much-needed bath and a respite from towing, even though he’s built for towing. Driving around without the trailer attached makes for a bumpier ride because of his tight suspension. Bob’s head is now staple-free after 10 days. We had ordered a surgical staple remover from Amazon, and I pulled out the surgical fasteners all by myself while Bob held up a phone to record the experience. The right tool does a great job. We’re adjusting to being static and not moving every week. It’s a transition as we’ve grown to love that lifestyle. During this downtime, we’ll do some repairs on the trailer — fix some drawer rails and door trim — inventory our belongings, and get rid of things we haven’t used and don’t need. We’ll also take advantage of the opportunity to do some deep cleaning.
The Immovable Tagalong This immobile adjustment also gives us the opportunity to spend more time at the Commemorative Air Force Airbase Arizona, where we’ve volunteered for about five years. Bob helps with maintenance on the WWII aircraft, and I help coordinate rides on them. He’s excited to be one of the retired Monday, Wednesday, Friday mechanics. Although we’ve exchanged small towns for city life again, we’re enjoying seeing mountains and reconnecting with family and friends in the area. And, we’re hopeful another transition will be to a full-time job for me before too long. It’s a bittersweet time of change and reflection. We’re thankful we got to catch up with family and friends across the country, some of which we hadn’t seen in many years. We like the RV lifestyle and are already making plans for our next big adventure.   After our first separation from Gulliver and Tagalong since we started our journey in May, we are elated to be back together. We’re happy to be able to sleep in our own bed with our own pillows again. There truly is no place like home. Gulliver and Tagalong, who both fared well during our absence, greeted us with open arms — and no unpleasant stench or damage. All is well. And Gulliver roared to life with no problem. Honoring a B-25 Navigator We enjoyed our tour with the B-25 “Maid in the Shade” in Montana and ended up filling eight living history passenger flights while in Bozeman. On the way from Bozeman to Missoula, we had the privilege of circling the small town of Anaconda in honor of a 95-year-old WWII vet who resides in a nursing home there. When John E. “Jack” Oberweiser learned the B-25 was 25 miles from his town flying at 6,500 feet and 211 miles per hour, he announced to the staff at his facility, “They’ll be here in two minutes.” His daughter rushed to wheel her mother, 93, also a resident of the facility, into Jack’s room so the high school sweethearts, now married 72 years, could be together for the momentous occasion. Tears streamed down the couple’s faces as they sat holding hands while watching the bomber and hearing the roar of its engines exactly two minutes later, just as Jack had predicted. Like his buddies, Jack joined the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1943 at the age of 18 as soon as he graduated high school, eager to serve his country. He completed basic training at Santa Ana Air Base in California, where he once walked to the Rose Bowl and passed Bob Hope in the stands. Lt. Oberweiser served as a B-25 navigator in the China-Burma-India theater with the 491st Bombardment Squadron — known as the “Ringers” for their low loss of aircraft and personnel. The squadron targeted airfields, storage areas, and bridges.  Toward the end of the war, Jack spent time in France and Germany ferrying aircraft back to air bases in Europe. On one mission to Cairo, Jack, an avid sports fan, got to listen to the 1945 World Series game between his favorite Detroit Tigers and the Chicago Cubs, actually using the radio signal as a navigation tool.
On another ferrying mission, Jack’s plane made an emergency landing when something went wrong with the landing gear. Heavy rain prevented a fire as the plane slid on its belly. After the war, Jack and his sweetheart were reunited and raised seven children in Anaconda, where he worked as a football and track coach and taught geometry and bookkeeping. The whole town celebrated the B-25 flyover in honor of Jack and his service — and, as he stated, “ALL of the local veterans.” It was a true honor for us and the rest of the “Maid in the Shade” crew to participate. After all, that’s what the Commemorative Air Force is all about: educating, honoring, and inspiring. Inspiring the Next Generation Not only did we have the privilege of honoring Lt. Oberweiser, but we also got to work closely with a number of Civil Air Patrol cadets in Bozeman, educating them and the public about the history of “Maid in the Shade” and the part B-25s played in the war. These kids eagerly showed up numerous days to help clean the plane and to ensure crowd safety during our flight operations. They very professionally secured the flight line, standing at attention with their backs to the plane so they could monitor the crowd, resisting the urge to turn around and watch as the bomber’s engines started and as it taxied in after a flight. Many of the cadets have big ambitions of going into the Air Force and working with aircraft in some capacity or another. We’re thankful for the small part we got to play in inspiring them, and we look forward to what they’re going to do in the future. |
AuthorThis is the travel blog of full-time RVers Bob and Lana Gates and our truck, Gulliver, and fifth wheel, Tagalong. Categories
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