Ahhh, leaving is such sweet sorrow. After three months of sitting still, we’re finally leaving Arkansas.

But it’s what we live for, right?

As full-time RVers, our lives are a series of comings and goings. It’s both the beauty and the harsh reality of our chosen lifestyle.

We travel to explore and discover new places. Along the way we meet new people, make new friends or reconnect with those we haven’t seen in a while. It fills our hearts to be able to forge these relationships, but at the same time, it is tough to say goodbye, not knowing if or when we’ll see each other again. The comfort of familiar faces day in and day out is not part of our normal routine, if we have such a routine at all. When you stay in one place for an extended period of time, it makes leaving that much harder.

This time around, we have been staying with Bubba’s mom just outside Mena, Arkansas. It’s hard to believe three months have passed since we first arrived. In February, it was still freezing cold and the trees were bare. We have been blessed to see the days gradually warm up and watch all the foliage come into their full summer bloom. Local critters have come out of winter hiding, blessing us with sights of turtles, snakes (eek!), armadillos and deer on our daily walks, not to mention all sorts of beautiful butterflies I’ve only seen in books and magazines until now. (I’m still waiting to see that elusive bear, though). Lulu has really settled in well and has become best buddies with mom’s little blue heeler Marley.

Bubba has kept himself busy doing maintenance and repairs on mom’s house, keeping up the 16 acres of yard and spending afternoons tinkering in the garage. He has undertaken several maintenance and repair items on the RV and the truck, and being here has been the perfect opportunity to get those things done. It’s good to be in a place where you can have parts shipped easily, and not have any restrictions on the kind of work you do on your rig.

I have undertaken a couple of small projects inside the RV. Our original comforter was well used (you might even say abused) and was in horrible shape. I ordered new bedding which gave our bedroom a bright, new look. I also finally completely gutted the dining room area and turned it into a proper office space. For us, a dining room is worthless – we tend to eat in our recliners, in front of the tv. If we’re hanging out with friends or family, we eat outside. I had been using the dining room table as a makeshift desk, but I found I was accumulating too much clutter around it. Besides, all of my files and office supplies were still being hoarded in cupboards around the entertainment center. Since I had the time to do so, I ordered a proper desk and a small chest of drawers. The dining room table went onto the burn pile with the cut brush and other combustible rubbish, and is now history.

It’s been a busy three months since we arrived. We have accomplished a lot, yet without any sense of urgency. We knew we had time. We knew we weren’t being pushed to get back on the road. We were able to do things without feeling rushed or frazzled. It has been a nice break.

We also have had a nice pause from constant trip planning.

Now the Work Begins

With getting on the road less than a week away, my life now revolves around trip planning. Now that we have been on the road full-time for over three years, we are much more comfortable (and usually) fly by the seat of our pants. We have found that the security of plans can also pigeonhole us into not spending enough time in places we enjoy. Even so, we still like to at least have an idea of our route, and look ahead for good overnight stops and/or sights to see along the way.

The first part of our summer travels will take us from Mena to Caldwell, Idaho, the site of the West Coast HDT Rally.

We have decided to head north, to Hutchinson, Kansas. From there we’ll most likely head up into Nebraska, then west across the state and through Wyoming to Utah. From there we’ll turn north into Idaho, then west towards Caldwell.

After sitting for a while, now we have to run down that mental pre-departure checklist (and hope we aren’t forgetting anything). A couple of days ahead of departure, Backpack (our Smart car) will get washed, waxed and loaded onto our truck. Cameras will get tested and mounted in the truck, we’ll double check the chip in the dash cam and the tire monitor will get a double check as well. The night before, I’ll do some food prep for our travel days so we aren’t tempted to stop for fast food. The morning we leave, all loose objects on shelves and countertops will get stowed and the floor will get vacuumed or swept (we have found this to be an extremely important step, as gravel or pebbles tracked in on the feet can wreak havoc with the flooring if they get drug by a moving slide). The garbage will get dumped, tire pressures will get checked and it will be time to hook up and go.

Looking Forward to a Fun Summer

Aside from the rally, we have some great things to look forward to this summer. Our travels will take us across the northern parts of Idaho and Montana, and then into South Dakota. While we’re covering some territory we’ve been in before, we’re looking forward to seeing new things and stopping to explore new places. We’ll be sure to take you along and show you all the sights, both here and on our YouTube channel.

So for now we bid you farewell as we’re leaving Arkansas. Hope to see you out there on the road!