Summer of 2024

It's packing day.  Usually the day before we embark but, as our first location is fairly close to home and we had plenty of time to get there, we had made plans the day before not willing to get out in the heat or bring the RV up from the lower drive just yet.  We've done this so many times already that it's almost become second nature.  Almost being the key-word here.  Sure, there are lots of things that have to be done in preparation for a trip, not just for the RV but for us as well. We've set aside a number of items as RV-Only so we don't have to load and unload them everytime we come and go. It's been some time since our last outing though and like anything else, I get a little rusty without regular use.  Lynn keeps a Checklist to assist in these matters and we have altered it from time to time as we've learned what works for us.  

No endeavor has ever gone exactly to plan and if ever one did, I'm sure something occurred we just didn't notice.  Not the case this time.  We spent most of the day packing clothes, cancelling mail delivery, prepping the RV, and rechecking the list.  As luck would have it, My favorite daily visitor, Who had not been seen for months, passed by and I couldn't help but stop her on her way back around to catch up. Our mail carrier Kimberly, had been out of commission for several months and was now happily returning to her post and most importantly to the people, like me, who look forward to seeing her.  Yes, Even though I once proposed email would do away with the US Mail, I am quite happy to admit my error.

Murphy proved once again that no plan is ever complete.  We had already loaded up, gotten settled for the albeit short trek to our first stop, re-hashed the checklist and assured ourselves that we had everything, with the notion that we could pick-up any unforeseen missed items along the way as needed.  I of course, confident all was good, finished hooking the car up to the RV and got us on the way.  We had barely gotten a mile away before I returned home again to... fetch my teeth.  I could go without, but there are a few things I just can't enjoy gums alone.  At least I wasn't 20 miles away, right?  I mean its easy to pick up a toothbrush or razor along the way but, I don't have that option in this case.

We arrived at our campsite with plenty of daylight left to get set up.  Living here in Northwest Arkansas, its easy to take the beautiful views for granted.  I am usually so busy with my customers and google maps that I don't often take the time to stop and smell the roses.  A short drive across the hills in the RV changes all of that and soon that "Ultra HDR Panoramic Windshield" explodes with vivid colors and expansive horizons.  I do love it here...  Our first stop, only an hour away, is serene, tranquil, buried deep in the woods, surrounded by vertical stone cliffs carved out by the river just below our campsite.  I'll leave the exact location anonymous as the tranquility it brings would surely dissolve if word got out.  There is Zero cell service, somehow a few digital tv signals make it in but not at a rate you could truly enjoy watching and besides, who would want to when its the beauty and tranquility you were here for in the first place.

A nice evening under the high canopy with a simply prepared dinner and, the boys (Toto and Bilbo) exploring the campsite for every possible spot to mark as they do.  We settled in and had a nice quiet evening.  I slept a good 8 hours at least, no sirens, no weed eaters, no traffic. Only the wind, birdsongs, and the gentle rippling of the river to greet the day.  I got up, made a coffee and a Latte' and stepped outside to soak it all in.  Although its already in the mid eighties at home, here under the trees alongside the river and below the majestic stone cliffs, its only about 75 and not likely to get warm enough to break a sweat.  I'm not entirely sure what the temperature is here, I may have to invest in an old fashioned mercury thermometer some day but the lack of cell service hasn't motivated me enough for that just yet.

We've learned to make the transition quite well now that we've had the RV for a while.  It was hard to adjust in the beginning not having a 16 hour day scheduled with customers to greet and deadlines to beat.  Now its all in good time as we bathe in the richness of retirement.  I might have to wait an hour on breakfast and not only do I not mind it, I prefer to enjoy the relaxed pace knowing I don't have to be anywhere but right where I am.  Lynn heated up breakfast, a couple of oversized homemade Starbucks style canadian bacon roasted tomato egg bites prepared the evening before we left.  I fed the boys and enjoyed another latte'.  Lynn settled in with a book and I lay down to take a short nap. (I know, Crazy right?)  Not half as crazy as waking to realize my "short nap" was 2 hours, OMG.  

I stepped outside and had a smoke while the boys did a little more exploring and decided it was a good time to don the swimming trunks and let the boys meander with me down the footpath to the waters edge.  Now, to be clear, I've lived on the ozarks for 45 years thereabout, and I've had my fair share of clear mountain streams to enjoy, but this is the end of June, It's been in the nineties for the past few weeks at home and a cold stream is well enjoyed and sought after by many.  However, I was completely unprepared for this one.  I stepped ankle deep into the water and relished the cold water and soft sand that spread a few yards out from the bank coaxing the boys to follow. Toto was first and Bilbo just got his front paws in before backing out.  Toto stood beside me for only another moment before hopping back to the bank.  The water was colder than expected but I was sure I would acclimate within a few minutes and found my way over to a boulder that had rolled into the waters edge making a nice seat for me to sit and relax.  

I had entirely underestimated the water.  That startling cold I felt when I stepped in was now becoming a sense of hypothermia deep into my feet and making its way up to my shins.  This wasn't a cold mountain stream, this was Glacial Ice that didn't know it should be solid.  The Rock I was sitting on was a good 15 feet away from where we had first stepped off of the bank at the end of the footpath and now seemed like a long way from me as I began to feel like my frozen limbs would break off if I wasn't careful.  I know it's an exaggeration, but I have never, ever, felt water so cold that wasn't actually frozen.  we climbed our way back up the footpath to the campsite and sat down for lunch.  After lunch I could still feel the cold trying to resist thawing in my bones and though it a good time to sit and ponder the last few days.  No cell service meant I had no way to post this blog until we ventured out towards our next stop but decided I could still get my thoughts down while still fresh and post this when we had signal to do so.  That'll be tomorrow afternoon, sometime shortly after my feet thaw and I can manage a break pedal.  

So this entry was finished Saturday afternoon but I'll be following up again soon.  Thanks for all the encouragement, I do enjoy writing and will continue with or without an audience just to be able to remember these little treks a little better.  Cheers!