Super Sunday: Stopping Early

Every Sunday I write about one of the joys of full-timing

As Sean has mentioned, we've had a trying couple of days. Low power, baffling fuel filter, chipped windshield, and leaking transmission are consuming a lot of our energy right now. In addition to all that, Opal has had a disturbing cough for the last two nights and she needs medical care.

We had tentatively planned to cross Arkansas on U.S. 64, a blue highway that roughly parallels Interstate 40 but goes through every little town. We love that sort of road! I had used my mighty arsenal of camping references to select a state park for tonight's stop. We love that kind of park! Tomorrow we were going to try to find both a vet and an Allison repair shop in Memphis.

But at a brief stop early this afternoon, the puddle under the bus was growing and our anxiety about continuing to drive was growing as well.

So, where's the joy? Because we carry every thing we need for a comfortable night, it was simple to reset our expectations a bit, hop on the interstate, and arrive in Little Rock in about an hour. We easily found the Allison dealer, a nearby WalMart for parking, and an animal hospital. Stopping early is no big deal; in fact, we felt much better about this course of action than staying on the nicer but more isolated road.

Being completely self-contained allows us to choose a huge variety of overnight stops. This flexibility gives me great comfort. And the more we travel, the more comfortable I am. I know what it is like to stay in WalMarts, truck stops, rest areas, and even just by the side of the road. I know that such stops will be just fine and tomorrow we'll be ready to face the day's problems.