The Shakedown Run

Captian’s Log: (in the voice of Caption Kirk from Star Trek) we are now embarking on a journey into unknown territory (for us), a world where Val doesn’t wear a watch, no alarms are set to 4 am and the need to run out the door by a certain time is dissolved.

A world outside, no house to return to, only the items packed within the confines of our Jeep will accompany us. Welcome to the first post of McCoy Off-road.

(beep beep) Captian Out.

Hi, It’s Val. Kyle and I have left the driveway of our home, which is going up for sale as I am typing this – whew. Our bags packed the Jeep is topped off and we are on our way too (wait for it) – pick up a 5lb propane tank. Don’t let anyone fool you, all exits are not riding off into the sunset. Some are full of last minute hugs to loved ones and errands that need to be done before you leave town. Like making sure Cox Cable doesn’t charge you for that modem you have had for the last 4 years (ha ha).

3 hours later (lots of hugs and stops, ah lovelies – squish squish hug sounds – what can we say last minute is when stuff gets done, that and a tacos for lunch).

We are leaving Phoenix, via Interstate 17, north to Prescott Valley. Merge onto the Freeway and all is rolling well. Traffic in mid morning is like rush hour used to be 5 years ago, (if you are not sure what my level traffic is like, think movies in LA in the 80’s – HA). Man this city has grown and Kyle and I are laughing how we won’t have to drive this road for almost a year (insert car chair dance here). There is our exit, Cordes Junction, traveling west to Prescott Valley, and what is in the lane in front of us? A huge double trailer hauling rocks – and spilling them ALL over. Now if you are a car owner, you groan, IF you are a Jeep owner you CRINGE. Rocks mean windshield murder for Jeeps – ding, crack…ding, crack…ding, crack…ding, crack…Yup, we got 5 dings in less than an hour out of town on our epic road trip. Silly Truck, cover was on, bottom dump gate wasn’t closed all the way and BAM, we are injured. Sailor words of frustration falling out of our mouths. Sigh. Guess we cannot take a windshield like that to Alaska – no way, no how! Going to have to get that fixed and fast. But we have a date with Prescott Valley’s Alliance Home Improvement Center, to see about some last items we need for the Jeep.

Once in Prescott Valley, we roll into the parking lot, stroll into the store and start to shop. On the list: 5lb propane tank, fill propane tanks, air compressor hose and some other hardware items (aka. man stuff, Kyle knows and I nod and say okay, where does that go again?). We find out, no propane tank, no worries though because we got all our other items. Yay success. Talking to our friend at the store (HI PAMM), the place we wanted to camp was closed, not open for public until April 1st (snow and cold weather).

Today’s word was Pivot. Yell it out Ross, nice and loud so all can hear, PIVOT!

Google and internet help solve all today’s issues. We order a propane tank to be delivered to an Amazon lock box in Henderson, Nevada estimated arrival 4 days, (1st time ever doing that, we cross our fingers and say, we saw people on YouTube do it, we can too, right?). We call Capital Window Tinting, they get us an appointment for windshield replacement and tint for Wednesday and we grab the very last open campsite in BLM (Bureau of Land Management) near where we wanted to camp, and settle in (time is now 5 pm). Feeling exhausted and defeated just a smidge, we settle in for our first ever night in our new home on wheels. Man I panic packed a lot of stuff. Not as streamlined as I wanted, but that is okay.

Bing Ting – Text arrives 7:45pm, Estate Sale people didn’t need us out of the house today at all, they are not going to start prepping for our Sale until Wednesday (relief washes over us). We get to go home, what a silent win (I guess I wasn’t THAT ready to leave yet, LOL), we can sort though the packing, take a shower in a real bathroom and sleep one more night in a bed that isn’t assembled in order to sleep (how quickly we find small luxuries we never knew we had).

The Shakedown run we didn’t know we were getting, was a gift we didn’t realize we needed so badly.

Wednesday, we will be more prepared we said as drove home.

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