California or Bust

And we are off!  It is so awesome to finally be out on our next adventure. 
A family of five living out of this truck for the next 5 weeks. 
No Reservations.
No Absolute Destination.
No Planned Route.
No Planned Agenda.
No Regrets.

You heard that right.  We are on day two of this trip and I still don't know where we are going!  Our loose goal is to dip our toes into the Pacific Ocean.  A few preferences, however, have been voiced.

Tom wants to:  Surf under the Golden Gate Bridge.
Sara wants to:  Chill with my family without having to look at my watch.
Ivy wants to:  Go to Yellowstone
Olive wants to:  Touch a buffalo
Dizzy wants to:  Touch a buffalo like Olive

Looks like we will try to get to California...and we darn sure better stop at Yellowstone, huh?

We have a secondary goal as well.  We have challenged ourselves to make it all the way to the Pacific using only our tax return, $3,000.  Yeah...I know what you are thinking....that should be easy.  But there are a few things that make this quite challenging.  First...we decided to go all the way to California.  We could have picked anywhere...but we chose the furthest possible place in the continental US.  Secondly...we are driving the most inefficient thing possible across this distance; a pickup truck with a slide-in camper weighing it down.  We get 15 mpg and gas prices are $3.45 a gallon. And if that wasn't enough.....we are going for 35 days.  35 days of driving, eating and sleeping!   So who knows what will happen!?!  We might run out of money.  We might run out of gas.  We might break down.  Good news is that we have 5 weeks to figure it all out!   I hope.

Here is our new home!  You want to see inside, right?
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You see....when I take 5 different pictures from 5 different angles....it actually looks pretty roomy!  Truth is that the entire thing fits into the bed of our pickup truck.  The "master bedroom" lives over the cab of the truck.  It is tiny...and exactly the right size!  I had to make a few renovations inside.  It was originally a brown wood grain with some hideous 1980s cushions.  I threw on a little paint, sewed some curtains and cushion covers and tossed in a few pillows.  Now it feels like home.  A super tiny mobile abode.  Like a snazzy snail.  That is what I am calling this rig.  The SNAIL.  Mostly because we poke down the interstate at snail-like pace (50-55 mph) with our house on our back.  This is the first roadtrip I have ever been on where I can be totally unconcerned with whether there is a state trooper lurking around the next bend. 

What does an unplanned trip look like?

Day One ( June 8th)
Pointed the truck West
Stepped on the gas pedal
Stopped when we got ancy....which happened to be in Hurricane Mills, the home of Loretta Lynn's Ranch, where there also happens to be a large shady Buffalo statue.  Do you think we can convince Olive that she can check "Touching a Buffalo" off her list ?

 

 We got hungry somewhere around Natchez State Park, so we stopped in to make lunch. 

 

 When we got tired, we pulled into the parking lot of  the Little Rock, Arkansas Walmart and went to sleep.  Did you know this?  Walmart likes to make money off of RVs, so they let them park there overnight without asking any questions!   It is a pretty sweet deal for a ragtag family that happens to be wearing their house on their back.  Free rent, level ground and 24 hour bathrooms.  The best part is that you wake up to a quirky little community of people who step out of their RVs, yawning and stretching their arms.  In the Walmart Parking Lot.  Yeah.  How have I, as a typical house abiding civilian, missed this?  38 years and I have never once noticed a retired person drinking their morning coffee in the Walmart Parking lot.  It is happening!

We eventually got back on the road and drove along till we spotted this playground from the interstate.  We picked up some more groceries and I made some grilled chicken for dinner in the camper while the family played outside. 

And now...we just keep pointing west.  That is the direction that helps us reach our collective goals.  Tom is driving.  I am typing this up as we soar down I-40 at 56 mph (Tom just informed me that is our magic number....the speed at which the RPMs and gas mileage is most efficient.  He has been watching...taking notes.)  So here is our summary of the day.

Miles Driven so far:  864
Currently in:  Oklahoma
Money Spent:  $359

Yuk!  That $359 is pretty discouraging!  But we have our fingers crossed that it gets better as we build our grocery pantry in the camper and can PARK instead of drive.  Cross your fingers with me?  We are having a sweet time and don't want to come home yet.