More Thoughts from the Maiden Voyage

Just some random pieces of trip things left floating in my head . . .

* Nothing smells sweeter than mountain air at 60 degrees, with a light rain falling around you.

* Cheating, or cool, to order pizza on your first night in a new town and open up wine and watch DVDs in the trailer you spent an hour and a half organizing?

* Still trying to figure out why the woman with the umbrella was walking a cat on a leash in the RV Park in Taos. I asked if I could pet the cat and she said, "No. She's mean." She then proceeded to try and walk off with her, and the cat bit her 5 times, right in front of me. Go figure.

* The Amarillo KOA had a small dog park with agility training games in it. Dylan was not up for learning agility this trip.

* The 3rd night in the trailer, Dylan finally felt at home and started playing. He raced up and down the hall of the trailer, chasing his stuffed toy. Made about 15 laps, then settled happily on his bed and chewed his bone. He's gonna be a great travel dog. The other 3, not so much.

* The 100 lb. Pyr will bark non-stop and try to eat people. So I will have to pack the citronella bark collar, the wire muzzle and an extra dust buster for his fur when he comes along. I already had a large side hitch custom mounted above the running board of the truck so I could slip in a thing called an "Otto Step" to help the big furball get in and out of the truck easily. (And I will do all that for him - because I am "that woman who does that kind of thing.)

* The old Newfie mix is a bonehead who pees on everything and can't make it in and out of the trailer or truck due to the 5 gajillion dollar knee surgery he had on both legs the last few years. And my really old Aussie female - who is currently staring at walls and wandering the house a bit lost but happy - is not a good traveler, even on a good day. Last and only time I took her on the road, she would not eat or pee for 3 days just to spite me. So Dylan wins the travel game. Or the housesitter does - she's gonna make a fortune on the 5 critters left at home.

* Taos has a lot of hippies. They smell like patchouli. I like hippies. I don't like patchouli. Or B.O.

* Amarillo has the: "Jesus Christ is Lord Travel Center." (www.jesuschristislordtravelcenter.com)
New Mexico has a ton of XXX video stores and signs about not driving drunk. It balances out.

* The weigh stations as you enter New Mexico were open and were generating revenue for the state. The weigh stations as you enter Texas were closed. No moolah for Texas. (Could somebody call that flashy guy with the politician hair who's running for President and asking him what's up with that?)

* Last SUN night in the trailer was the first night it felt like "home." The place was finally clean. We had food in the fridge (and it kept it cold.) Damon made us some great pasta for dinner - and we had all the right utensils and dishes and pots and pans that we needed. It felt right - and homey - and full of possibilities. Kinda like a tea party in a shiny playhouse with really cool dishes - and wine.

* The trailer is now in service at the dealership to get some of the kinks worked out - and the list is full of tons of little things we noticed needed tweaking. Hoping to pick it up on THUR - my birthday - and head to an easy access RV Park in the DFW area to just hang out in her and get to know her better. Wanna tinker with stuff and see if I can figure it all out. Wanna spend a day in my pj's eating sunflower seeds and reading and daydreaming about where to go when it's cooler. Wanna see what it feels like to tow her alone and set her up and keep her running for a few days on my own. Wanna see how she and I really feel to each other - I have a hunch we will get along famously.