Climate Change and Motorhomes

Back in January, Laura and I bought an older motorhome (2002). We found ourselves back into a RV after good friends were on the road long-term (Al and Jody - so it's not just us), and were left frustrated after our drive/hotel adventure last fall. Sleeping in someone else's bed every night, and lugging your suitcase into a different place all the time was not something we wanted to do a lot of.

So we went back to sleeping in the same bed, cooking in the same kitchen, and lounging on the same couch - all while having a different living room window view most days.

This trip in the new (to us) motorhome was mostly a "shake down cruise" to see what worked, what didn't, what needed to change, and whether we liked it or not. Turns out we like it, and the machine worked flawlessly. Even the gas mileage was better than I expected.

But the point of this post isn't only about the RV. It's about the weather. And the economy.

Weather

Although this could be just an aberration, we experienced a huge variety of weather in our 30 days on the road. Weather that would normally be a little more consistent and predictable.

Terrible, gusty wind for more than half the entire journey. The wild weather in the East starts off in the West - where we were. The wildfires in California have started again.

It snowed for a couple of days as well. In all, there were only a handful of "typical late spring days" in the whole trip. Climate change is here, and the SW USA is feeling it.

Economy

Cathedral Gorge

There is a real demarcation when you cross the Oregon-California border. The highways in California are in awful shape. You would expect the same in Mexico or Bolivia, not North America.

It's said that the people that work at WalMart can no longer afford to shop at WalMart. They now shop at the Dollar Stores. We saw this for real in the small towns we were through. There are no more small businesses - just WalMart and Dollar Stores. And gas stations. There is a real disparity in the USA that you used to have to look for - it isn't hidden anymore.

Highlights

The Black Mailbox (That's really white)

Despite what I've said above, there were a couple of neat places we visited. And we'll return again.

Actually, with the state of California right now, we'll likely start heading south through Nevada Route 93 - less traffic, better roads, and lots to see.

My personal favorite was Cathedral Gorge State Park in Nevada. Absolutely breathtaking with a small, friendly, well-set-up state campground. We'll stay a week next time.

Next up would have to be the ET Highway. Talk about minimalist. A mailbox and a diner. Perfect. Loved it (and recommend the Alien Burger at the Little A'Le'Inn).