Chad, Lais, Erin and Andy wanted to celebrate Christmas in Ohio this year, so we delayed our 5th Big Adventure until after the holidays. Sadly, Brett and Nadia weren’t able to make the trip. A week after the four left, they returned to celebrate the life of Andy’s father, who passed away in November.

Sunday, Jan. 7

We left for Myrtle Beach at 3:00 pm to drop off our car at our condo. The Walmart in southern Charleston, WV had invited us to spend the night and we never turn down a Walmart overnight.

Monday, Jan. 8

Seven more hours to the condo.  Carol, driving in the car with Lois and Lucy, and Christy keeping me company in the Ham. About two hours from Myrtle Beach, Christy was in my lap telling me that it was way past time for dinner. We pulled into an empty downtown parking lot of a small city in South Carolina. Less than a minute later, Christy inhales her meals, we pulled out onto Main Street. The parking lot ramped down to the street causing the rear of the Ham to scrape on the pavement. Seconds later, Carol was screaming on the phone that liquid was gushing from the side of the Ham. Thinking of the worst, I envisioned myself cleaning up a disgusting mess on Main Street from a damaged black tank. When I pulled over, I found that the waste tank outlet cap had twisted off and the pull handle to the valve of the gray tank (sink water) was open. The black tank contents were safely stored away.

We arrived at our condo for a quick supper and our traditional romp on the beach with the dogs. Christy loves the beach and her show of enthusiasm didn’t disappoint. Back in the condo, I opened a bag of soft and chewy strawberry licorice that was left in a gift basket by a special guest who had recently visited. I heard a crunch, then felt a large piece of tooth in my mouth. A crown had broken off, leaving me with a big hole for my tongue to fill.

Tuesday, Jan. 9

A huge, potentially dangerous storm was approaching and everything in Myrtle Beach was closing around noon. Hoping for a cancellation, I called a nearby dentist. An hour later, my crown was successfully re-cemented back in place. We spent the rest of the day watching the heavy rain and 60 MPH winds.

Monday, Jan. 15

Another storm on Friday, and polar temperatures as far south as the Gulf Coast kept us from traveling until today. We used our RV membership to spend the night in the parking lot of a sports bar in Savannah, GA.

Tuesday, Jan. 16

Cop-A-Squat sounded like a good place to spend the night, and we were right. Free electric and water, inside a fenced-in property kept us safe for the night. The only problem was the 24-degree temperature we had to experience overnight, in Florida!

Wednesday, Jan. 17

It was going to get a little warmer today, but not much. We needed to dump our tanks and Davis Bayou National Seashore Campgrounds in Ocean Springs, MS could accommodate us with that. Lucy’s bathroom schedule was disrupted by the 6 dogs in the RV across from us. She finally got back on schedule at 2:00 AM when I had to take her out in the 28 degree cold.

When getting back into bed in the dark, I smacked my head on the cabinet beside the bed and yes, I now have a big scab on my forehead.

Thursday, Jan. 18

Today would be 24 hours of warm temperatures before they plummeted again. We only drove a few hours so we could enjoy some outside time with the girls. In Lafayette, LA, there was a city campground with trails and a boardwalk through the bayou. We spent the afternoon hiking around live oaks and palmettos. Back at the Ham, Christy, the adventure dog, resumed her RVing ways by letting me know it was not time to go inside. We continued walking. It was a good day. 

Friday, Jan. 19

Houston is a terrible city to drive through, so we planned to spend the night just to the east and drive through on Saturday. We stayed at a “5-star” Cracker Barrel in Baytown, TX, had a good supper and had a good night’s rest.

Saturday, Jan. 20

Our four-hour drive today was going to be altered by the closure of I-10, just west of San Antonio. Google Maps detoured us around San Antonio on skinny, hilly, curvy farm-to-market roads. It was like being on a rollercoaster that lasted over an hour. We found another Cracker Barrel and shared the parking lot with five other RVs. It took me a long time to relax after that crazy hour of driving. 

Sunday, Jan. 21

A night in Fort Stockton, TX is always enough. At least, this time we didn’t stay at their noisy Walmart. We stayed at a much noisier RV park.

Monday, Jan. 22

Finally, after 4 days in Texas, we settled into Leasburg Dam Park in Las Cruces, NM. Our hike together was cut short when the trail steeply descended to the Rio Grande River. Carol and Lucy turned around and Christy and I ventured on. We followed a long canopied trail along the river to the dam. It was a good practice hike for the two of us.

Tuesday, Jan. 23

The plan was to meet up with Brett and Nadia in Bisbee today but torrential rains kept us away. The drive onto the property where they were staying was too muddy, so we made arrangements to stay at an RV park about an hour away from them. Before going to the RV park, we stopped at the Walmart in Deming, NM for a few things. As I walked through the parking lot, I bent down and picked up a shiny penny. It’s a silly thing that Carol and I do for good luck. An hour later, we stopped for gas and lunch at a Pilot. When I went to put my credit card in the machine, the pump already instructed me to remove the nozzle. I followed the next prompt to select the grade. Gas started pumping into the tank. $63.48 later, the tank was full. I walked inside to pay and told them about my experience at the pump. Their records showed that it had been paid by a debit card and I owed nothing. Walking back to the Ham, I bent over and picked up another shiny penny.