Provo, Utah Lakeside Resort

Alrighty... realizing as I write these stories, I am totally not taking pictures of RV life inside, only outside. I'll try harder. 😉 

So Provo. Why Provo. Well, it was far enough to get us closer to Bend, OR and close enough for T to drive after work. When you're driving a big rig, it takes so much focus that 5 hours is our limit before stopping. And I found us a place to stay! That's been a challenge with the last minute, "Hey let's go adventuring this summer!" kind of travel. People book RV spots WAYYY in advance. I think I spent one full day already literally looking for places for us to stay for the next few weeks. I was getting anxious and not the way I wanted to spend my day. Plus, all I could think of was whether this was my life til we got back to Tennessee. Searching daily for a place to stay, Oy! Jumping from place to place is exhausting and hard for T to work well. 

One afternoon, T asked if I'd like to walk and of course my answer was YES! Little did we know, with my nose in the phone searching all day or catching up on laundry, that tucked away was a lake less than a mile away. And this quiet little trail to boot! Such a find. Once again reminded me that the world around us is out there ready to be explored, ya just got to go.  We found an old graveyard of gas station signs, some cows, gorgeous views, and some old mossy trees. 

On Friday night we went into town on a date to see Twisters and grab some food. Worth seeing if you haven't yet. So that's it for Provo. Short and sweet. 

 

The Happenings in Palisade

As hot as it was in Palisade, we love what the area offered. T and I are always looking for something new to see and experience in each new place we travel. Exploring is nothing new for us, just new places. And we always bring Cribbage along. One never knows when an opportunity to play a game pops up. This part of Colorado is known for their wineries and their peach orchards. A total win for us. We went to a couple of wineries and a local brewery. There are more than 30 wineries in Palisade I believe; we barely scratched the surface. We went to Restoration Winery and Carlson Winery. One was posh and fancy-as and the other had a hometown feel. Can you guess which one we preferred? 

At Carlson Winery, there was this cute kitty. I swear my husband is an animal whisperer and doesn't know it. They love him. Pick any animal and they choose him every time. Black Kitty followed us inside and then after T opened his bag of chips, jumped up to share. Sharing is caring she thought. T not so much. We pet Black Kitty and sent her on her way.

T and I have the Strava app to record our exercise. Its motivating for me and informative for him. We have different purposes for sure when it comes to this app.  A little plug for Strava -Feel free to join and add us as your friend. I love giving kudos! 😊

One of the things we discussed with moving to Tennessee and now living on the road is how to stay in shape. I walk like crazy and my husband rides like crazy. So, to get that in each place we stay matters. I am also thinking about riding my bike again, but only on paved safe non-scary roads. 

There is a small peach orchard on our campground property. I walked a loop that included every lane of this orchard. I am sure people watching thought what is this crazy lady doing? Well, she is getting in her miles one way or the other.

T was able to connect with a co-worker and ride in Grand Junction. It was Stephen's 60th birthday celebratory ride. They talk on the phone about their love for mountain biking and now had a chance to enjoy a ride together. How cool is that! Another great part of life on the road.

Palisade Brewing is a small hometown brewery with a few food items and some good beer. The locals hang out at this brewery. The views are amazing with the jetted red rocks in the background. We played a round of cribbage and paused from the busyness of life to take in some local culture. Each new place, each small town has its own rhythm. America is cool that way. New faces, new people, all looking for a place to belong. Hometown businesses like this are a gathering place to sit for a while and just be, making connections with your people. So we did.

All in all, our first official outing on the road was a success. Heat and all, we loved Palisade. Who doesn't love a good peach? On to our next stop...

Thanks for listening,

Tuna Jones

 

First Stop, Peach Capital Colorado

And we're off! Being our first big outing we planned to stay in Colorado. One, to get to know our rig and two, figure out what living on the road looks like. August has always been the peach canning month for me and with our warm spring/ hot summer in Colorado we decided to go to Palisade in hopes of grabbing some July peaches and figure this thing out. 

On our way to Palisade we stopped in to see our friends in Leadville. This is definitely one of the fun parts of living on the road; slowing down to see people along the way. Jim and Jo were a part of our church group in Colorado Springs and dear people. Jim works at the airport in Leadville so we met them there to grab a hug and a tour, and it was a great spot for our camper to park. We learned something new while we were there. Leadville is North America's Highest Airport. How about that! 

Back on the road heading over the pass towards Palisade. Such a gorgeous drive.

How's this for views! It was crazy hot. Like so, so, hot. The morning and evenings were grand but mid- day- sweltering! Ok funny side note, cause I can. I'm typing this and wrote squeltering. I clicked on the auto correct and it's not showing up. I know this is a word, so I ask Ciri how to spell it.  He proceeds to say, "It's SWELTERING". 😏 So all this time I have been saying SQUELTERING and that's not even a word. I bet that was a mommaism. There ya go.  You had a little English lesson today. Either way, it was hot. 

After setting up camp, we went to town to eat dinner and celebrate this big day. We found a restaurant called Fidels. It was AMAZING. Big review here for them. If you are in Palisade this is a must do. The food was sooo good. It's a Mexican restaurant, which we love. The service and food, top notch!. And the name of the place is not what you'd think. It's this cute dog that had his own art gallery.

 Ok, that was day one! A big day indeed. Back to our camper we went to sleep with the AC on. 🌞

Thanks for listening,

Tuna Jones

Let the Adventuring Begin!

So we did a thing. A BIG thing!  T and I have always loved camping, traveling, being together and being outside together. When we decided to sell our home, we got this crazy idea to live on the road for while. We’re young enough and healthy enough to do it, so why not?! We went round and round about buying an RV and taking Ts job on the road. We had this dream for years! Well- guess what?

We could, so we did! 

We jumped in with both feet. We searched for a perfect fit for us. That took some time. We traveled the state of Colorado looking at various RVs for sale. T needed an uninterrupted workspace that was for him and I needed a space that allowed me NOT to be “working” too. 😉 

We discovered these cool 5th wheels with garages. It’s perfect! He researched office setups for the road and found a really cool desk/monitor setup. He has a door to close off his space, his own AC, and a porch. He is truly working remote. We have a separate living room, bathroom and bedroom, way too many tv’s and a fireplace to boot. We found a Ram 350 dually to haul it. She is lovingly called Bad Mamma Jamba by yours truly and is a dream to drive! I love trucks.❤️  My husband is a star driver of this long beast. 

Our first stop was Salida with our dear friends Bruce and Kathy. We love Salida and staying with them was a perfect place to prepare. We had to figure this thing out, unpack and get ready for the adventure. I set aside boxes and BOXES of stuff for the RV during our move.Too much stuff! I was super organized. Apparently a bit too organized. Now we know. 

So our goals for our adventuring. 

Those who know us, know we are list makers and goal setters. 🤗 T plans to ride one of his bikes in every state of the union. He’s ridden a lot, and in a lot of states, but now we begin a check off list! 

So far Colorado, Utah and today Oregon. 🚵‍♀️ 

My goals for this first adventure- rest my mind and body. Since my cancer last year, I haven’t stopped. I plan to now. Next goal- to write again. And write a lot. We’re blogging our journey along the way. I’m desperately trying to catch up to present day! And I have these children’s books rolling around my brain that need to find their way to paper. 

Our goal together- to go to every National Park! That one is super exciting to us. We are hitting local breweries and wineries too, also fun. We are investing in each other; finding joy in this moment in time. 💗

So that’s what we’re doing! Come along with us. 

Let the adventures begin!

Thanks for listening,

Tuna Jones

 

Show Me the Water

If we could be in the water, we were in the water. I love swimming. Like REALLY love it. When we moved to Colorado its the thing I missed the most about my time outside. We had a pool growing up and we had a pool when our children were littles. It's not a thing where we lived in Colorado. More of a hot tub climate. After Mom's service, T and I stayed in town for a few more days enjoying family and waiting for our belongings to arrive from Colorado. I am so grateful for the few moments in the pool with everyone. After Mom's service we went to Rob and Jo's community pool to relax and cool off then one day all the cousins went back to swim some more. We  also had the joy of celebrating the 4th of July at the Johnson's home - in the pool. Not only do I love water, but it was also CRAZY hot the week we were in Tennessee. Now my home search includes a pool. 😀 Or at least the space to build one! 

Yay Team Pool!