Happiness Pursued

"Time is the fire in which we burn."

-- American poet Delmore Schwartz, 1937

(also said by a plagiarizing Star Trek villain, 1993)

When you tell people you're honeymooning for an indefinite period of time in a travel trailer, you get some strange looks in response. Strange as in, "are these two people absolutely insane?!" looks.

To me, this trip always seemed to be a normal and reasonable course of action. At least it seemed that way until the unfortunate sewer hose incident in Malibu.

Sure, we could've been sampling fine wine and fresh lobster in a Tahitian luxury hut while eager minions massaged our feet and gently fanned us with freshly cut palm leaves. But wouldn't you really rather wolf down microwaved popcorn in a stormy Wyoming Wal-Mart parking lot?

Okay, perhaps that wasn't the best example. But the underlying point has something to do with the Latin phrase carpe diem -- sieze the day. (It actually translates into "pluck the day," but no one says "pluck" any more. Thank goodness.)

I'm one of those guys who's constantly aware of his own mortality. It's not that I'm obsessed with death. Not at all. Rather, I am aware of death, and I acknowledge its inevitability. It's what you might call a motivational factor.

I've seen many people die unexpectedly. I've seen many die expectedly. Either way, they died. We all will. It's the one thing you can count on, and it applies to everyone.

Martha Stewart will die. So will Donald Trump. And Britney Spears. And Hugh Hefner, if he hasn't already.

Our time on earth is limited. It's up to us to make the best of it.

Granted, what consititutes "the best" will differ from person to person. We all have different dreams that may or may not involve camping in Wal-Mart parking lots. Maybe it's watching your kids play soccer, or reading the works of Shakespeare, or drinking 30 beers in one day. Or doing ALL of these activities simultaneously.

Our aspirations may vary. But our responsibility is to pursue those individual dreams with passion and vigor. That's what our country's Founders wisely called the pursuit of happiness. That's why we're here.

Believe it or not, some people can find that happiness in a Wal-Mart parking lot -- on their honeymoon.

Coming next: we take a look at "The Long, Long Trailer!"

Home Stretch

We are home. It's a surreal feeling to enter your house after being absent for three months. Everything seems slightly new, but completely familiar. You might call this sensation "the joy of rediscovery!" And it's greatly heightened by the fact we've been living full-time in an RV.

While we are here... As Elvis might say, we're taking care of business.

Our immediate goal is to have our Airstream's ceiling fan (and associated rooftop damage) repaired. Incredibly, my impromptu duct tape repair has weathered many storms over the past three months and still holds. After this adventure, we really should be doing TV commercials for Gorilla Tape! It's the best thing since sliced bread and Crazy Glue. But it's time we properly repaired the vent and roof, once and for all.

Kristy and I are scheduled to appear on the Vintage Airstream Podcast (also known as The VAP) to discuss our experiences on the road. The online radio show tapes this Thursday. More updates as events warrant.

Our next foray into the American wild will come in two weeks: a trip to Florida, where we have an appointment with a certain Mr. Mouse. In the meantime, I will strive to keep the blog perking with updates, video and otherwise.

Coming soon: video reflections upon the long, long honeymoon. Stay tuned!

Takin' it to the Street

Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee is a treasure trove of music, food, music, drink, and music. And you'd better come ready to hear some music.

The mind staggers when you think about the talent that's congregated in Memphis over the years. Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, B.B. King, Roy Orbison...and that kid from Missisippi named Aaron (as in Elvis Aaron Presley). And what's really incredible is that most of those guys were making music at the same time.

BFF!

Sorry, macho men. Today's video is on the lovey-dovey huggy-kissy side.

But it's true: you'd be insane to share an RV with anyone except people you REALLY, REALLY like.

Coming next: Memphis!

Arkansoggy

We received our strongest and lengthiest downpour last night in Little Rock, Arkansas. For several hours, we slept to the tune of raindrops cascading against our Airstream. As I've written before, it's actually quite an entertaining symphony.

Today we are headed to that place the King called home. We'll do a full "bells & whistles" video blog update there, if the Internet cooperates... Stay tuned!

Oh, What a Beautiful Wal-Mart

In Shawnee, Oklahoma we spent our second consecutive night in a Wal-Mart parking lot. Just what every girl dreams about for her honeymoon!

Although we haven’t done much Wal-Mart camping on this trip, it makes sense when staying a few hours in one town. It’s a matter of convenience. There’s no check-in procedure, no hookups to warrant your concern, and no one rapping on your door the next morning to “remind” you of check-out time. And should you need to do any shopping, the campground store is a doozy!

Having done a fair amount of international travel, I know that stores similar to Wal-Mart exist overseas (ie. England’s Tesco). I’m curious whether they are as supportive of the RV lifestyle. I suspect not. Wal-Mart doesn’t have to be so inviting, and in our litigious society it’s rare to encounter such corporate hospitality. So I am appreciative.



We’ve crossed 14,000 miles on SEEMORE’s odometer, which means we’ve gone over 10,000 miles on this trip (the above trip meter doesn’t include our journey to and from Key West, which was over 1000 miles).

Even though I’ve driven almost ALL of this distance myself, it really doesn’t feel that way. Although I’ve been a little fatigued at times, I’ve never been burned out. The key is the amount of travel per day. We typically limit ourselves to no more than six hours of driving, and often much less. Whenever we feel like stopping, we stop. If we find ourselves in a good spot, we stay, sometimes for days. This is a luxury afforded by the nomadic RV lifestyle.

That said, now that we have home well within our sights, we’re making a beeline for it. Once there we will tend to a few household matters, and take our Airstream back to the RV service center for long-awaited repairs. Remember June’s notorious “dent in our enthusiasm” incident? The dent remains an eyesore, and the vent is still nonfunctional. So we intend to have our Airstream’s vent and roof repaired, as promised, by the service center. I will document these repair experiences in our blog.

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How nice are Oklahomans? The favorite sports team here is the famed University of Oklahoma Sooners football squad. Boomer Sooner! At Sooner home games, the Oklahoma fans pack the stadium, where they are well known for giving vigorous rounds of applause…to the opposing team! Sure, they cheer louder for their Sooners, but they also heartily cheer the visitors. Now that’s nice.

Get Tires Fixed (on Route 66)

We’ve been lucky on this trip so far. Over 10,000 miles, and our major mechanical problems have been the broken air vent in Casper, Wyoming and the flat tire in Myers Flat, California. But now we can add one more tire fiasco to our road trip experience.

Last night, after a long day of driving that included a stretch of historic Route 66, we clipped a curb when exiting the highway in Amarillo, Texas. We heard a banshee squeal, followed by a disturbing, telltale whooooshhhhhh. The road was unusually narrow, but nevertheless we must chalk this one up to pilot error. What can I say? I was tired, and that’s when bad things happen to good RV owners.

Upon inspection, the tire and rim appear to have been mauled by an axe-wielding mountain lion. Naturally, the victimized tire is the brand new one we installed about a month ago. Alas! It was so young…

Per request, here's a close-up of the carnage. Perhaps I'm exaggerating a bit about the mountain lion. The rim is salvagable, but the tire sidewall is punctured. I'm afraid it's toast.



It’s possible to tow Airstreams a short distance with one flat tire. Low speeds are mandatory in this situation. So, tail between our legs, we crawled like a scolded dog to the nearest scenic Wal-Mart. There we spent the night boondocking alongside massive motor homes and tour buses. I’ve spoken kindly of Wal-Mart’s RV hospitality before, and here I shall do so again. It’s an incredible luxury to know you have a safe, free RV spot in almost every American neighborhood. And they even have their own tire shop.

Although I’m not happy about the situation, I’ve written about this subject before. When you are traveling on an extended road trip, you are going to encounter adversity. Expect it. Deal with it. Don't let it ruin your day.

A few hours before our tire incident, Kristy and I witnessed the aftermath of a horrible highway accident. The vehicle involved was upside down, and it was also scattered across the road in shattered pieces. Its occupants were airlifted away from the scene by helicopter for emergency medical treatment. We don’t know whether they survived. Seeing this sort of accident scene puts our trivial tire woes in perspective.

After getting a new tire, we are headed toward that place where the wind goes sweepin' cross the plain… Boomer Sooner!