Manic adventure.

I have to clear my head. Ty has done all the blog posts thus far but tonight, I just need to write to cleanse my bad energy. 

So far the one word that I can think of to summarize our adventure is manic. Days are either really really good or really really long and hard. Today was terrible. It started earlier than normal and after a long sleepless night.

We left Flagstaff on Tuesday with the plan of staying in Sedona. We didn't plan ahead far enough and all the rv parks were full by the time I called them at 10:00 am on Wednesday. We are kind of flying by the seat of our pants. Just going wherever we want on a whim when it feels right. Up until Sedona that had worked out fine. With no where to stay in Sedona we continued on to the town of Cottonwood. I am sure there are nice parts of the town but unfortunately we were no where near them. We stayed at the Turquoise Triangle Rv Park and I am positive that we were the only ones who did not live in the park full time. We tried to go on a bike ride only to realize all our tires were flat. After patching them we headed out of the rv park to find a very busy road with uncaring drivers. We went for a few miles and found a beautiful gem in the mud. A lovely raw foods yoga studio. We shared some delicious cacao banana nice-cream and went back to Rosie Donna for some wholesome homemade lentil tacos. A few of the neighbors were extremely friendly and all came over, knocked on our door and gave us a friendly welcome. The kids all asked if our kids could play. It was humbling. And a beautiful reminder that no matter what your situation you can always be kind to others. A few of the other neighbors made us feel a tad bit uncomfortable. Like the one directly next to us who's windows were blacked out with black garbage bags and had a note hung on the door said DO NOT DISTURB. We could hear him moving around in there but never saw him. Needless to say, we weren't very interested in hanging around there for too long. Thursday morning we jumped in the Pilot for a day in Sedona. The kids and I went on a trolly tour while Ty made a few phone calls for work. We met back up, bought a delicious loaf of Rosemary bread from Wildflower and headed up the canyon for Slide Rock. It was beautiful and fun. The water was freezing and I cut my bum going down the slide but all in all it was worth it. By the time we left we were all starving. We went to the Chocolatree. It was amazing! The spiced pie was divine. Then headed back to Rosie Donna in Cottonwood. We were all pooped! I couldn't keep the kids up any longer and they fell asleep at 6. Usually that is a very good thing and they sleep pretty sound until morning. But not this particular night, which was last night. It was long and sleepless. The kind of night where you can't wait for it to be over but nothing sounds worse than getting up. Morning finally came and Ty and I were ready to concur the day.  

Once we were all packed up, which is a very big job, we realized that Ty's wallet had been misplaced. After an hour of looking he found it in his bike helmet. Then we were off to get gas. We nearly got stuck in the parking lot while trying to get propane. It all worked out fine but took a tremendous amount of time. Aki fell asleep, Lu had an exhausted meltdown which woke Aki up and well, the day just went down hill from there. While inside Rosie Donna, the day was going down a steep hill, outside the winding road took us up and down and around on a narrow hilly road that would be exhausting in a car. Ty chugged Rosie Donna forward and we eventually made it to our destination. Theodore Roosevelt Lake. 

We have learned that moving is exhausting. Physically and mentally. We need to stay put in one place for at least a few days. The idea was to come to a nice forest service run rv park. After enjoying a relaxing weekend, the kids and I would play here for a few days next week while Ty goes to do some work in Phoenix. We came to a lake because we wanted to be near water. Who would have guessed that lakeshore campgrounds are actually nowhere near the water. We drove around the lake until we found a little spot right on the lake. Woohoo we thought. And our spirits were lifted. Ty was fried and I could tell he needed a quiet minute to himself. So I took Sid and the kids to the water. I wanted to cry. There were rotting fish everywhere, beer cans and garbage. Not the beach I had imagined. 

When we got back to the motorhome we noticed the window covering in the bedroom for some reason tore out of the wall. Handy man Ty put it back up no biggie. Well it had a light wired into it that also got pulled out and when we went to turn in the air conditioning all the electricity went out. No fuses appear to be blown and the breaker looks good but the generator all the sudden won't power anything. Here we are in the Arizona dessert with a Saint Bernard and no AC. Hopefully Ty can fix it tomorrow morning. Until then, I'm off to bed with the hopes of a restful and rejuvenating night. But first I must say, as badly as I want to be home right now, I am happy to be here. It is a true test of our love, patience, strength and perseverance. Thank you, Ty, for being my partner in this. 

Living in a Camper

Nine years ago if someone had said that if I don't clean up my act I'll end up living in a camper somewhere down by the river I probably would have agreed with them. I was a broken mess of a person. I had kinda given up on the possibly that my life would be anything more then the shit pile it had become. 

Nine years ago if someone said that I would uproot my family and take them on the road traveling in a RV for three and a half months I would have said they were full of shit. Not just that I would have a family, but that I would just pick up and go somewhere, anywhere. 

For me addiction created a sense of extreme panic and anxiety. I struggled with answering the phone, having confrontations that were anything other then extreme anger and fear of simple things like being away from my apartment for the night. I hated not knowing what my plan was and when where and how I would be able to drink enough to keep from being sick. I used to sleep in the floor of the tennis club on days I had to open the office so I could get drunk and not have to worry about being late to work. Life was really hard and really unpleasant. 

Today I am in Cortonwood Arizona in a dingy run down Trailer park and life is pretty good. We were in Flagstaff the last two nights and enjoyed the cool weather, but we were all ready for some nice desert warmth. 

We tried to stay in Sedona but that is a hard town to drive a 50 foot motorhome through while looking for RV parks. Our plans are to head back there tomorrow in the car and celebrate my 9 year anniversary. 

Life happens and I am so happy that now I am part of life instead of drunk on the sidewalk watching it pass me by. 

Cheers. 

The Weekend is here!

I can't believe we made it a week! If we can make it a week we can make it a month. Who am I kidding, I still have no idea how this whole thing will play out, but we made it a freaking week! If all weeks cost as much though we will spend approximately 20k on this trip. Just kidding, it really shouldn't cost that much. 

We made it out of Utah today and are at the Wahweap campground at Lake Powell. It's early March so there isn't anyone here, it's actually really nice. We walked down to the water with Sid and the kids and dipped our toes in the water and of course the Lake Powell mud. I am not sure the last time I was here. I have driven by once or twice for work in the last few years, but I think it was 15 years or more since I was down here with a boat. It's crazy how fast time passes when you aren't paying attention. I was telling Sarah and the kids about all the trips I made down here with my family as a kid and Sarah asked how many weeks out of the year we traveled as a kid. It's an interesting question because in my mind we were always visiting cool and exciting places, but I can't imagine we were gone all that often. I think there were a lot more long weekends then anything.

 I didn't really realize how lucky I was as a kid to go everywhere my parents took me and my sisters. It must have been an incredible amount of work taking 4 kids anywhere and the cost seems just crazy. 

Sarah didn't have the chance to see as many places as I did growing up. Add that to the list of things that divorce takes from a family. Holidays, vacations are all taken up transferring kids between homes instead of seeing the world.

I'm trying to make this blog more then just a travel log. You can get the jist of where we are through the photos on Instagram. What I hope to use this for is the things we talk about and learn along the way. 

Tom Mccollum called me yesterday as I was getting ready to go for a bike ride. I hadn't talked to him in such a long time it was awesome to get a phone call from him. Of course when you start a conversation with your interventionist you inevitably begin with "I'm still clean and sober." He asked me a question that really gets to the heart of being sober. He said "ya, but are you happy?" 

If I could draw a graph with happiness on the y axis and time on the x axis the graph would have a steady uphill slant for the first 2-4 years then a long plateau with a big spike over the last 2 years. 

The last two years I feel like I have really become the man that I have always wanted to be. I'm more patient and understanding, at least I hope I am. And I finally feel confident enough in myself to be as outgoing as I always wanted to be. I owe a lot of that to my amazing wife. I also owe it to my kids, I really want to show them that life is exciting and there are so many opportunities out there but we have to be willing to say yes to try them. 

Anyways, it's getting late, we are getting up a bit early tomorrow to go see antelope canyon. Adios. 

Day 6: Did you know that AAA will only help you four times a year?

I learned that this week as well as make sure you open all boxes you purchase with RV parts. The photos don't always tell the true story. 

I was not at all hesitant for Sarah to get AAA for our trip. I knew that at some point we would need it and just having the peace of mind that we weren't out here all alone made me happy to pay for the premium RV membership. 

We had to call AAA Wednesday night, just 5 days into our trip. We had pulled over in Kanarraville, Utah to register at an RV park for the night and when I went to start the RV again there was nothing. No click, no grumbling starter, nothing. After calling AAA and trying to get this sucker jumped we realized the issue was bigger then the battery. I also learned that you only get 4 incidents a year. That was an unpleasant surprise. 

The best part of the whole ordeal when we finally got the RV towed the .2 miles to the supposed wonderful RV mechanic I was flashed and flagged down at midnight by a local farmer to let me know that the Madsen was partially obscuring my tail lights. Man, talk about a forest for the trees. I'm driving behind a semi tow truck hauling a 33 ft motorhome with no lights whatsoever and I'm the nuisance you spend your time to flash and yell at.

The next morning we woke to a new day and positive vibes that the RV would be quickly fixed and I would be off to get some work done. The curmudgeon at RKS auto had other plans and he quickly let me know he didn't work in RV's and definitely not electrical stuff on RV's. 

We made our second call to AAA in 12 hours and were towed back to Cedar City to a new mechanic who had time to squeez us in. 

Roy was a sweet old man of 72 and took incredible care of us. He managed his mechanics with a soft hand and you could tell they appreciated him for that bee spent 4 hours hanging out with Roy and learning about his life. Met his wife and heard about their 8 kids! We were able to escape with a clean bill of health after getting a new starter and a through going over by Roy and only $400 dollars. 

We finally made it back to the park in Kanarraville 24 hours after initially arriving and were able to get a decent night sleep. 

One thing I have to say about this entire first breakdown was the positive energy that helped us get through. I don't think Sarah or I thought it was going to be a huge repair, but we also had absolutely no idea. Roy could have said he charged $150 an hour and we would have been super bummed, but we would have paid. I hope that we are reaping some rewards for the positive life we try to live. I am far from a saint, but I am trying my best. I look forward to opening up my heart more to the world and the people around me. 

Day 1: I lost the Madsen on the Interstate

Today was a really long day. We spent our first night ever in the RV last night parked in front of the house. Although it certainly doesn't have the space as our home, it wasn't terribly crowded or uncomfortable. We decided to switch out a nicer mattress for the one that come with the RV. I am about to head to bed and I'm hoping to get a better nights sleep then last night. 

There was no reason to not sleep last night, but the heady mix of anxiety and anticipation had me looking for new bikes on the Internet instead of sleeping. Maybe subconsciously I was hoping to ride my bike away from the charred remains of the RV. 

Daylight finally arrived and I cooked up our usual breakfast of oatmeal. I mix mine with brown sugar, peanut butter, salt, hemp seeds, flax and some coconut milk. We quickly ate and hooked lu up with the kindle so we could hammer out the last odds and ends of the house and clean up before the tenants came over to do a walk through at 10am. How I ever thought we would be in Butte to pick up a car dolly by 1pm is s mystery but that's what I set up. 

We made a last minute decision to take the Honda Pilot instead of the Kia. I'm not sure if we made the right decision or not yet, it's nice to have a little extra space though. We managed to pack a mountain bike, a cross bike, and a road bike for me and the madsen bucket bike for Sarah and Lu's bike. 

Since we were meeting someone from Craigslist in butte to pick up a new car dolly lu, Sid and I loaded into the RV and headed out. Sarah finished cleaning up the house with Aki and Pele and left a few minutes after us. We quickly rendezvoused however because Sarah didn't have any gas or a credit card to get money for the car dolly. We finally got on the highway and were immediately hit by 20-40 mph side winds. Although I tried to keep my cool for Lu I was super freaked out. I hadn't driven this thing more then 50 miles before and wasn't truly equipped to handle the stress of the wind. I nearly gave up at several points and pulled over but couldn't fathom the thought of spending the night in a gas station parking lot. And we still had to get the freaking car dolly!!!

I white knuckled it while yelling back and forth to lu over the howling wind about doc mc stuffins and other important issues in the life of a 4 year old. After being unsuccessful at getting the kindle to work while also driving a giant motor home I gave up and got lu to sit shot gun so we could talk and I could tell her about the continental divide as we drive over the top of it. Of course that didn't last long. We eventually made it to Butte and I was able to let the sweat dry from my drenched shirt. Sarah beat us there and already had the Honda on the dolly. I gave it a half-hearted once over and quickly paid the man. Our options were nil and we needed that dolly. We also needed a trailer hitch with a 6" drop instead of a 2" drop so I left everyone in the RV at a flying J and headed into town for a new hitch. 

The Honda was loaded with all the bikes and after purchasing the hitch and getting a free diet Pepsi I was heading back to the Flying J. I went over an underpass and though, "hum, that's a weird noise." And glanced in my rear view mirror to see the Madsen spinning effortlessly from the fast lane off to the shoulder. I immediately panicked and then thought about just giving up and driving on. I'm glad I stopped. All caution aside I reversed on the shoulder against traffic and quickly got the bike out of the way. 

Those of you who know me know this isn't the first item I have lost on the freeway. I also lost a brand new fridge from RC Willey and the fear and panic from that situation was about double for this. Sarah freaking loves this bike. 

Unbelievably the bike wasn't in terrible shape. Definitely has some scuffs, dings and dents but it's rideable. What a freaking awful part of a day that still wasn't over. 

We eventually got over the tears from the near disaster and managed to haul our exhausted asses to Fairmont Hot Springs just 10 miles outside Butte. It was the first time we were all together with everything we would have with us for the next  three and a half months. 

The rest of the day unfolded beautifully and we made it to bed ready to fight for a better day tomorrow. 

Day 2: I emptied the toilet tank

Today I finally decided to have a go at getting the black(poop) and gray(sinks) water tanks emptied. This was one of the least technical parts of the motorhome to learn about, but one that had been weighing on my mind. The whole thing is just so disgusting. I had kinda fiddled with it before we left and managed to spill a few cups of gray or black water on to the street in front of the house and througly gross myself out. 

We were in Idaho falls at a little free overnight spot on the Snake River, not nearly as glamorous as it sounds, and we ran out of water so I pulled the rig up to the water and sewer area. Unfortunately because it's not tourist season yet the water was still turned off. So besides putting off showering in the tiny shower for one more day we weren't able to get any water. Sarah said "you may as well dump the sewer while we are here." I had officially been called out. I took off my slippers and while lacing my shoes asked her to get a box of latex gloves from here friend Danny.  I knew this was going to be messy, it did not disappoint. 

I got out and started hooking up the sewer hose. I knew it was filthy, but I got over my queasiness and grabbed it firmly with my two bare hands, just kidding. 

It wasn't really all that exciting after the initial terror. Of course I didn't do the order of operations right and had to pull the cap off of the hose that was fully pressurized with pee and poop but I managed to stay out of the worst of it. 

It was really shocking the amount of water we had gone through in just a couple of days. It was tremendous! I can only imagine it heads down a pipe straight into the snake river, hopefully that's just my dark thoughts. 

Mark that off the list of new things I now know how to do. 

Today  was a pretty great day. No big disasters or real struggles. We swam at Farimont hot springs after breakfast, the kids napped while I drove. I got to listen to some of the book on tape I got at the library and I got to go on a bike ride.

 

It was a full house at the fairmont rv park. 

-Ty