Words of wisdom

Words of wisdom

Thursday, July 28, 2011

My Local Jeep Dealer...

Neuwirth Motors offered to give my Jeep-ster a complete check-over, rotate my tires and change the oil and filter for me - for free!

I had sent the GM all the information about my road trip which he thought was was such a great idea that he forwarded it onto Jeep corporate headquarters, in the hopes that they would like to 'pick-up my blog' as a Jeep advertisement.

I thought that if Jeep said yes, I could do something like Travelocity's Roaming Gnome, only this would be 'The Roaming Jeep - Where in the country I'm parked?' And even though we never heard from corporate, I might just do this as part of the blog anyway. I think it would be fun.

But I did want to say a big, public THANK YOU to NEUWIRTH MOTORS. If you are interested in owning your own Jeep and live anywhere near Wilmington, NC, then this is the dealer to deal with:)

Tune-up is Saturday, wheels-up is getting closer each day! This silver-haired, slightly crazy, 65-year old lady is ready to hit-the-road and see what awaits. Just wish it would cool down a bit before I do!

Until next time.....

PS: When my tune-up was complete, the service manager thought my spare looked a little 'naked' and gave me a brand-new tire cover which says....JEEP and NEUWIRTH MOTORS, WILMINGTON, NC. Such a nice and subtle advertisement:) I said Thank You!

Sunday, July 24, 2011

It's Hot!!!

All across the country the temperatures are soaring into the 100's. The humidity is almost as high as the temperature and people are in general miserable. Here on the beach it's too hot to even sit on the beach...the sand will burn your feet.
It's not even refreshing to get in the ocean as water temps just keep getting higher and higher. And listening to the weatherman today, this 'heat bubble' is expected to last at least another week. What will driving across the country in a semi-topless Jeep in these temperatures be like?

I had a test on how this might work on Friday when I had to drive to Jacksonville, NC (68 miles and an hour and a half drive) in 99º temps. Since the Jeep does have A/C I rolled up the door windows, turned the fan to high and drove up Hwy. 17 hoping the cool air coming out of the vents would at least meet the hot air coming in under the bikini top and keep me semi-comfortable for the length of the drive. It worked - sorta - and this is how I will deal with the drive across Kansas! I am so looking forward to getting to the Colorado mountains and spending time in Santa Fe where the evening temps are in the 70's instead of not getting lower than 88º (like here last night!).

I have started making piles of clothes and 'must take stuff' that I will need for my 2 months on the road. Shorts and T's for driving days, mountain hiking, sightseeing, colorful skirts and blouses for nights out in Santa Fe and one 'little black dress' just-in-case.

Camera - √ Phone & charger - √ Laptop & e-reader - √ And the list goes on. Can you tell I'm getting excited? The countdown has started and I can't wait until that actual 'wheels-up' day arrives.

Until that time.....

ReAnn

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Life is so funny, don't you think?

If we weren't able to laugh at ourselves and the things in life that otherwise would make us scream and pull our hair out, we would all go crazy!

Why I'm laughing is that in the past week I have gotten emails from two big RV companies who 'found' my blog, loved it and wanted me to add their sites and businesses as links for my readers.

Now I was very upfront and honest with them, saying if they read my entire blog, you saw that I had to sell my Minnie Winnie when I returned to rescue my house from the renters-from-hell. That I now travel in 2001 Jeep Wrangler - over-nighting in hotels, motels or friends and family's guest beds instead of lovely RV campgrounds.

Me & Winnie in Wisconsin

Good Sam Club, the premier provider of RV maps, insurance and great RV campsites asked that I let you know that I think that every RVer should be a member of this great organization. I know when Winnie had a huge blow-out on I-95 in the middle of Atlanta, they were the ones I called for roadside assistance and they were there immediately! Their Emergency Road Service isn't just for those who own an RV. Their ERS protection covers household cars, minivans, SUVs, pick-ups, motorcycles and boat trailers. And the best part about it is that they will tow your vehicle to wherever you want it towed, even if it's 100's of miles away!

But the one I loved was a request from ThatsNotCamping.com. Their site covers everything RV, from buying or selling a unit, to the RV lifestyle to a listing of all the events across the country you can attend! I suggested to them that in return from my listing their link, they should cover one of their small RV's with that 'advertising skin' and let me drive it around the country - a moving, walking, camping, talking advertisement! Haven't had a response to that offer yet!

So does this show you just how much I miss my RV and the entire RV lifestyle? I do, I really do! If it had been possible, I would have sold my house in a flash and kept my Winnie and driven and lived in her until she or I fell apart. But as you all know, there's a little problem with the housing market and that wasn't possible.

But I still dream, lust after and envy every person I see driving down the highway in a big ol' RV! And no, it's not camping. It's living life in a house-on-wheels and it's so-o-o-o-o much fun! I wish everyone of you had the chance to try is sometime. I know you would fall in love with RVing as much as I did.

Until next time....

The Vagarities of Life.....

What would we do without them? But sometimes life would be so much simpler and run so much soother without them popping up and into our lives!

I thought my summer road trip was all set. I had laid out my daily travel schedule, lined-up over 50 fabric shop stops along my route, and was actually to the point of envisioning what and how I should pack the back of the Jeep for my long, long journey and WHOP! Along came a damn vagary (n) an unexpected and inexplicable change in a situation or in someone's behavior to upset all of my wonderful plans.

In other words, the sponsor I had lined up and I have parted ways. I won't go into all the of the details (I don't want to get sued for liable), suffice it to say I was fortunate enough to learn before I hit the road they they were not the type of business I would want to do business with.

But life does go on and I will still hit the road the first week in August and head West. The first month of my trip will not change. I still plan to meander slowly across the country, stopping here and there, visiting family and friends and sharing all that I see along the way. I will drive as far as San Diego where I will spend the Labor Day weekend with my oldest son before turning around and returning home...via Yosemite and Lake Tahoe...and then across the entire country till I get back to the other side.

I am going to especially miss the drive up the West coast, from San Diego to Seattle, visiting friends in Idaho, Minnesota and Wisconsin and a side-trip into Canada, but there is always next year!

So 'adventure time' has been shortened, but the 'need to roam' has not. And I am once more back to envisioning how to pack the back of the Jeep!

Until next time....